Tokyo Transformations: The Nihonbashi Area

ORY’s DAWN AVATAR ROBOT CAFÉ

The Nihonbashi area is a symbol of the history and culture that make up the city of Tokyo. Over the years, it’s undergone many phases of redevelopment, with its most recent changes aiming to quickly transform Nihonbashi into a city where all people can visit and enjoy it comfortably. Some of these changes include: Inclusive Navigation, Japan’s first high-precision voice navigation system for large indoor areas, a baby stroller rental service (offering advance reservations), and the opening of the Avatar Robot Café DAWN ver. β (“β” read as “beta”).

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, will accelerate inclusive* initiatives in Nihonbashi, a neighborhood where the spirit of mutual aid has been deeply rooted since the Edo period (1603-1867). Through this initiative and based on the Mitsui Fudosan corporate philosophy of seeking to link diverse values, coexist in harmony with society and achieve a sustainable society, as symbolized by the Mitsui Fudosan logo, we will promote creating neighborhoods where all people can feel safe and secure and enjoy visiting. * Inclusive derives from social inclusion and expresses the concept of “helping and supporting all people from isolation and exclusion.”

We will broaden the supported area for Inclusive Navi, a high-precision voice navigation system whose implementation started from October 2019, to cover developments such as the introduction of a buggy rental service that allows advance reservations starting from Thursday, July 15, and the opening of DAWN AVATAR ROBOT CAFÉ Ver. β, a permanent experimental café run by ORY Lab Inc. (hereinafter, “ORY”), a recipient of a special sponsorship from Mitsui Fudosan.

Key points of this release
Mitsui Fudosan will advance inclusive neighborhood creation in Nihonbashi through the following initiatives.

1. Broaden the supported area for Inclusive Navi, Japan’s first high-precision voice navigation system for large-scale indoor location, to approx. 376,700 ft2 (approx. 35,000 m2) from Wednesday, July 7. This will promote neighborhood creation where all people can feel safe, including those who use wheelchairs or people with visual impairments.
2. Start a buggy rental service allowing advance bookings in COREDO Muromachi from Thursday, July 15 through a tie-up with “babycal”, which operates mostly in JR stations. This will progress neighborhood creation by enabling easy, fun trips with children away from home.
3. Opened DAWN AVATAR ROBOT CAFÉ Ver. β on 1F of Mitsui Fudosan’s Nihonbashi Life Science Building 3 on Monday, June 21. Service at this permanent experimental café is provided by robots who are remotely controlled by service staff who have intractable diseases and are otherwise unable to go out work. We promote achieving a society where a diverse workforce can thrive.

Broadening the Inclusive Navi High-Precision Voice Navigation System Coverage Are

The supported area for the Inclusive Navi high-precision voice navigation system jointly developed by the three companies of Mitsui Fudosan, Shimizu Corporation (hereinafter, “Shimizu”) and IBM Japan, Ltd. (hereinafter, “IBM Japan”) will be expanded in sequence from Wednesday, July 7, 2021 together with Nihonbashi Muromachi Area Management and Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
By not only covering the Nihonbashi Muromachi area retail facilities but also broadening coverage to the area encompassing the underground passage between retail facilities, we aim for a neighborhood where every user can easily visit regardless of their individual circumstances.

■ Features of the High-Precision Voice Navigation System Inclusive Navi

• An indoor/outdoor voice navigation system jointly developed by Shimizu and IBM Japan and linked with the dialogue function of IBM Japan’s IBM Watson®. Realizes high-precision navigation by using AI.
• App guides users along an optimal route to their destination, such as a path leading a wheelchair user to an elevator Smooth guidance based on highly accurate positioning ability and using maps, voice features and smartphone vibrations.
• Detailed guidance considerate of users’ needs, such as locations of multipurpose toilets, position of elevator buttons and store information.
• Multilingual guidance (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, but vocal guidance only available in Japanese and English) and equipped with an automatic re-route search function.

■Mitsui Fudosan Group’s contribution to SDGs
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/esg_csr/
The Mitsui Fudosan Group aims for a society that enriches both people and the planet under the principles of coexist in harmony with society, link diverse values and achieve a sustainable society, and advances business with an awareness of the environment (E), society (S) and governance (G), thus promoting ESG management. By further accelerating its ESG management, the Group will realize Society 5.0, which the Japanese government has been advocating, and contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs.*

*The initiatives covered in this press release are contributing to three of the UN's SDGs.
Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities
Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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