“Voice Friend” first skit! Published “New Store Manager” written and performed by the popular comedy duo “Kagaya”
Held sequentially from September 6th at Roppongi, Fukuoka Tenjin, and Sakae! *GATARI*
Press release: August 22, 2024
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“Voice Friend” first skit! Published “New Store Manager” written and performed by the popular comedy duo “Kagaya”
Held sequentially from September 6th at Roppongi, Fukuoka Tenjin, and Sakae! *～In-store customer attraction solution using the mixed reality platform “Auris”～*
Mixed aims to create future infrastructure where digital and real worlds merge. Reality (MR) startup GATARI Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and CEO: Shunichi Takeshita, hereinafter referred to as “GATARI”) is collaborating with Nippon Publishing Sales Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President: Keiji Okumura, abbreviated as Nichihan) to provide Mixed
As a new project of “Voice Friend”, an in-store customer attraction solution that utilizes the reality platform “Auris”, “New
“Store Manager” will be held sequentially at three Bunkitsu bookstores that charge an admission fee from Friday, September 6, 2024 to Monday, November 18, 2024.
“Voice Friend” is an in-store customer attraction solution that provides an immersive “experience” in everyday “places” with your favorite “voice.” Utilizing the features of Auris, which does not require installation of sensors or other equipment and provides an immersive experience that makes you feel as if you are immersed in the story without interfering with the store’s normal operations, it brings out the appeal of IP and increases the experiential value of the space. This will lead to attracting more customers to the store, encouraging them to visit the store, and promoting purchases. A total of 3,000 people have experienced the first to third rounds so far, and 89% of them have experienced it for the first time due to Voice Friend.
I visited Roppongi. In addition to pop-up sales of books related to the story, we have prepared mechanisms to help fans feel the value of the experience, such as original goods and collaborative menus at the in-store cafe, and the number of customers and sales at the store during the period were both 2% compared to the previous year. It has more than doubled.
Since 2020, the two have been distributing skits on YouTube’s official comedy channel “Kagaya Bunko”
The event will be held sequentially at Roppongi, Bunkitsu Fukuoka Tenjin, and Bunkitsu Sakae. Please take this opportunity to experience it at Bunkitsu.
■Voice Friend “New Store Manager” Overview
Kagaya, who not only writes skits but also scripts for stage plays, not only provided voice acting, but also wrote an original immersive skit for “Voice Friend” based on a bookstore.
The story begins when you, who by chance decide to become the manager of Bunkitsu, are called to Bunkitsu for a preliminary inspection. When you visit Bunkitsu, you will be greeted by the current manager, Kaga-san, and the staff member, Kaya-kun. The key to becoming friends with two people is to respond unreasonably…?
It is an immersive skit about two people from Kagaya and “bunkits”. As participants walk through the store wearing the experience kit, a smartphone and NWM open-ear earphones provided by NTT Sonority, the story progresses according to their actions. The audio is newly recorded and produced by Otobank Co., Ltd. (President: Kubota Yuya)’s audio content planning and production business “Studio Otobank” will be in charge.
Event period: Bunkitsu Roppongi September 6, 2024 (Friday) to September 24, 2024 (Tuesday)
Bunkitsu Fukuoka Tenjin October 4th (Friday) – October 22nd (Tuesday), 2024 Bunkitsu Sakae October 30th (Wednesday) – November 18th (Monday), 2024
Experience time: Approximately 20 to 30 minutes per session *The experience time is a guideline.
Ticket price: 1,980 yen (tax included) *Advance reservation/date and time specification required *Admission fee to Bunkitsu is not included Ticket sales period: Bunkitsu Roppongi From noon on Friday, August 23, 2024 to each specified date and time
Bunkitsu Fukuoka Tenjin From noon on Friday, September 20, 2024 to each specified date and time
From noon on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 to each specified date and time
*Sales will end as soon as capacity is reached.
Voice appearance/screenplay: Kagaya
Production cooperation: Studio Otobank (Otobank Co., Ltd.)
Device sponsor: NTT Sonority Corporation (nwm MBE001, nwm ONE) Project details: https://hon-hikidashi.jp/bookstore/43399/
Purchase tickets:
■ Bunkitsu Roppongi
Trial period from Friday, September 6th to Sunday, September 15th, 2024: https://teket.jp/8123/39102
Trial period from Monday, September 16th to Tuesday, September 24th, 2024: https://teket.jp/8123/38497
■ Bunkitsu Fukuoka Tenjin
Trial period: October 4th (Friday) to October 13th (Sunday), 2024: https://teket.jp/8123/39104
October 14, 2024 (Monday) to October 22, 2024 (Tuesday) Trial portion: https://teket.jp/8123/38498
■ Bunkitsu Sakae
Trial period from Wednesday, October 30th to Friday, November 8th, 2024: https://teket.jp/8123/39103
Trial period from Saturday, November 9th to Monday, November 18th, 2024: https://teket.jp/8123/38499
* [Kagaya Profile] *
A comedy duo belonging to Maseki Entertainment Company. Formed in 2015. The duo name is a combination of the two members’ surnames “Kaga” and “Kaya”. He gained attention by advancing to the semi-finals of “King of Conte 2018″ and advanced to the King of Conte finals in 2019 and 2022. In January 2019, the first radio program “Kagaya no Tsuru no Ma” (RCC Radio) was broadcast, and it became a regular program from April. In addition to live shows and variety shows, he is also active in a wide range of dramas and movies.
* ■What is “Voice Friend”?*
“Voice Friend” is an in-store customer attraction solution that provides an immersive “experience” in everyday “places” with your favorite “voice.” By using the latest MR technology, you can turn the space into an event venue. By drawing out the appeal of IP and increasing the experiential value of the space, we will attract customers to the store, encourage tours, and promote purchases. To recognize the location of the person experiencing the experience, only space scan data and smartphone cameras are used; there is no need for additional equipment such as beacons. In addition, interactive production can be performed according to the movement, line of sight, and choices of the experiencer, making it possible to guide the experiencer to every corner of the space while listening to the story. * ■ What is the mixed reality platform “Auris”? *
Auris is a mixed reality platform that allows you to create an unprecedented sensation of being immersed in reality with a single smartphone and no code.
With a unique spatial scanning and self-location estimation system that can be completed using a smartphone, and a highly flexible authoring tool that enables various experiences depending on the settings, you can create unprecedented experiences anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
Currently, it is being introduced in various locations such as cultural properties, museums, model rooms, and exhibitions.
*Mixed
Reality (MR, mixed reality): A state in which real space and digital space are seamlessly fused (mixed), and real objects and virtual information can be displayed and manipulated equally.
“Auris” official website: https://gatari.co.jp/auris-intro/
* ■About Nippon Publishing Sales Co., Ltd.*
Since its founding in 1949, Nippon Publishing Sales is a publishing sales (intermediary) company that has built the infrastructure for Japanese publishing distribution through the distribution of books and magazines.
In recent years, we have not only been responsible for distributing stationery and miscellaneous goods, but also developing original stationery and miscellaneous goods and producing cultural places, in order to bring richness to the hearts of all people through various things and things connected to books. We continue to deliver value by transforming both as a company and as a distributor in response to various changes.
* ■About nwm*
“nwm” is an audio brand developed by NTT Sonority Corporation, which conducts audio-related businesses using cutting-edge audio signal processing technology. Based on the concept of co-existence, we are developing products and services that utilize our core technology of manipulating sound. “New
Wave
The brand name, which is an acronym for “Maker,” embodies our desire to propose a better lifestyle and create a new wave in the world through sound technology and new ideas.
Brand site: https://www.nwm.global/
Sponsored product: Open-ear completely wireless ear speaker “NWM MBE001” (2 items from the left in the image)
Open-ear overhead ear speaker “nwm ONE” (2 points from the right in the image)
* ■About GATARI Co., Ltd.*
GATARI Co., Ltd. aims to create a future infrastructure that fuses digital and real, with a new entertainment perspective.Mixed Reality startup. With a vision of “creating a world where people and the Internet blend together”,
Japan’s largest VR student organization UT-virtual (based at the University of Tokyo)
https://utvirtual.tech) Established in 2016 by founder and
representative Takeshita. We continue to aim to make reality a better place by combining technology with deep human understanding and an approach that “changes the way we see things.”
Company name: GATARI Co., Ltd.
Address: 4F Daiki Building, 16 Kanda Matsunaga-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Representative: Shunichi Takeshita
Established: April 2016
Business content: Development of mixed reality platform “Auris”, production of MR content, etc.
URL: https://gatari.co.jp/