Meta Bath ~A digital view of a Tokyo-style bathhouse~

Project overview

A 3D version of the Kodakara-yu public bathhouse, which is located on the grounds of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, was created as part of the TOKYO Smart Culture Project* organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture's Arts Council Tokyo. Every detail of the bathhouse's shapes and material textures was recorded using laser scanning-based measurement of 100 spots and about 6,000 images.

In the online exhibition, visitors could explore every nook and cranny of Kodakara-yu through the metaverse (virtual space) with explanations to guide them. Once only viewable in person, Kodakara-yu could now be enjoyed from anywhere in the world from a 3D perspective only achievable through digital technology.

Additionally, the exhibition offers a 3D comparison between Kodakara-yu and Daikoku-yu, a traditional miyazukuri bathhouse once located in Kitasenju, which closed in 2021 and was subsequently demolished. Many visitors enjoyed this all-new visual experience that allows them to transcend time and space and immerse themselves in the world of Japanese bathhouses.

Look back with video

In Meta Bath, we asked visitors to scroll through the screen to explore the public bathhouses.
As they scrolled, they’d soak in the bathtub, jump outside the building to look at the rooftops, or travel through time...
Taking advantage of the unique perspective of a virtual space, we have set up "exploration spots" in each space and provided detailed explanations of the highlights.
Then we take a time-traveling trip through space and time to the two Tokyo-style bathhouses, Kodakara-yu and Daikoku-yu, and the tour comes to an end.

Highlights pick-up

1.Freely explore the bathhouse in 3D

Visitors could freely explore the bathhouse from flat, cross-section, and other perspectives. Tokyo-style bathhouses like Kodakara-yu feature designs typical of shrine and temple architecture, including tiled roofs and elaborate carvings. With the Meta Bath, visitors could freely take in these architectural details from a variety of angles in 3D.

2.Take a closer look at items that exemplify public bathhouse culture

In this space preserved through 3D technology, visitors found vintage items such as retro hair dryers attached to chairs and coin-operated massage chairs, which were used in actual bathhouses. These objects allow them to experience Japanese public bathhouse culture on a deeper level.

3.Transcend time and space to compare bathhouses from the same era

Daikoku-yu was an exemplary "Tokyo-style bathhouse" like Kodakara-yu, and was built in the same year (1929) and same area (Senju) as the latter bathhouse. This exhibition's 3D comparison of the two bathhouses offered visitors the chance to compare them without being constrained by the limits of time and space.

Enjoying the 3D models

Pay attention to technology!

Pay attention to technology!
(1) A building 3D digital archive
To create high-resolution 3D data of Kodakara-yu, we combined multiple scanning technologies and forms of data, including laser scanning used in civil engineering and surveying, photogrammetry so advanced that it can even reproduce the texture of photographs, and drone surveying for wide-view and aerial photography.
(2) Web 3D technologies
The Meta Bath is web-based 3D content. To display 3D graphics in web browsers, we used the Three.js WebGL library. In addition, the 3D model of the bathhouse uses 3DTiles technology to reduce the data loading time. In addition, the three-story-controls plugin was used in combination with Three.js to design the scrolling on the browser screen.

Achievements