As much as $250 million to be invested in high-end systems for museums

Major Japanese corporations such as Fujitsu and NEC have become more visible with prototype networked multimedia stations, and even networked virtual reality (VR) systems. But more recently, various public agencies have begun to fund substantial programs to develop multimedia and virtual reality demonstrations in newly approved local museums throughout Japan.

A leading Japanese multimedia researcher, while dining in Tokyo, casually said, “We really see no difference between multimedia and virtual reality.” What presently passes for multimedia — encyclopedias on CD-ROM, presentations on personal computers — was clearly perceived as not sufficiently interactive, immersive or interesting to be considered “real” multimedia.

Already in place in Japan are 12 Hi-Vision museums that show high- definition reproductions of paintings and display educational materials in the Hi-Vision format. Funded by NHK and Japanese high-definition TV (HDTV) vendors, the museums are designed to show off the benefits of HDTV, long before its commercial introduction.

Videodiscs and karaoke. Every small local museum, including the museum in the fishing village of Onjaku, which highlighted the works of a poet whose most famous song was composed there, has its own videodisc presentation of the poet’s life and a karaoke set up where visitors can sing along.

Museums now being built focus more on local history, science education and environmental concerns. According to the principals at SAI Press, which develops the plans for these museums, the average budget for multimedia and, now, virtual reality demonstrations is between $750,000 and $2,000,000 each per museum.

These funds purchase a multiple-media exhibit developed and shown on Sun Microsystems’ Sparcstation or Silicon Graphics Inc.’s workstation equivalents, often using videodiscs and displayed on HD screens, with substantial interactivity. Several museums will be trying out VR demonstrations — especially in the science area — within the next year, although no contracts have as yet been awarded.

A much more expansive project is being tested in the Tama region, west of Tokyo, where a six-month celebration of the region will take place in 1993. With a budget of more than $250 million, the Tama coordinating committee plans to spend substantial amounts developing the most advanced multimedia and virtual reality exhibits in a number of Tama museums, especially those focusing on local history and environmental problems.

Multimedia networks. These museums will be networked to ensure that as many people as possible can see the various exhibits. It is expected that advanced telecommunications bandwidth will be made available to facilitate the experimental networking.

In addition, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT) is spending millions of dollars a year on the InterCommunications or OPERA project. OPERA will present the most advanced performance art in Japan as a precursor to the opening of NTT’s performance center in 1996, designed to include high-bandwidth connections (more than 600 megabits/second) to other centers throughout Japan.

In addition, the Institute for Future Technology is studying the future of the museum under contract for NTT. As might be expected, networking, interactivity and massive file transfers are among the main subjects of concern.

IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE, VISUAL

In general, the emphasis for future museums and other public spaces (schools, squares, even shopping areas) was on immersive, interactive and visual experiences. Spaces without those elements seemed likely to be less utilized.

How important is all this multimedia museum effort? It seems that more than a quarter-billion dollars will be spent in the next five years creating multimedia museums. But then, the Japanese are noted for jumping on fads and throwing money at them. The great museum push of today might simply be another way to get the Japanese accustomed to new technologies and may have no other major implications at all.

As Lee McKnight of MIT wryly notes in his discussion of such programs already in progress, such as Hi-Vision Cities, Japanese Intelligent Cities, Teleopia and the Visual, Intelligent and Personal (VIP) project, “Some of the projects, one must admit, are little more than promotional vehicles for ministries seeking turf in the information society.” But these local and well-supported museum projects seem to be taken seriously throughout Japan.

Tom Hargadon