East Japan Railway Company opened the entire "PLATFORM13" at Ueno Station, a model station for the "Beyond Stations Concept," on August 1, 2024.
Ueno Station is a cultural creation hub and disseminates various cultures, and as part of this initiative, PLATFORM13 will be broadcasting the railway x art content "Famous Trains from Ueno" from August 30th. By combining the famous trains that have colored the history of Ueno Station with digital graphics and calligraphy art, you can experience the world-famous Japanese cultures of "railroads" and "calligraphy" through the dynamic video space of PLATFORM13. Additionally, together with Epson Sales Corporation and Flyby Inc., we will be conducting a demonstration experiment in which a QR code based on railway graphics will be projected onto station platforms using a projector, combining it with railway images generated by generative AI. |
1. About the broadcast of the railway x art content "Famous Trains Departing from Ueno Station"
By combining eight famous trains that have coloured the railway culture and stories of each era throughout the long history of Ueno Station with the techniques of digital graphics and calligraphy, an art created by human sensibility and real hands, we will develop this as innovative railway culture promotion content.
In addition to tracing the history of Ueno Station, images of famous trains in their heyday are projected onto a 100m-long wall, creating a dynamic presentation that makes you feel as if you are actually watching trains approaching and receding, combined with impressive calligraphy art of the trains' nicknames written by calligraphers, allowing you to experience magnificent art that also evokes nostalgia.
(1) Broadcast location: Ueno Station, Platform 13
(2) Broadcast period: August 30, 2024 (Friday) to October 14, 2024 (Monday/holiday)
(3) Broadcast time: 8:00-21:30*
(4) Trains featured: Toki Express, Asama Express, Hakutsuru Sleeper Express, Hitachi Express
Sleeper Express Akebono Sleeper Express Hokutosei Sleeper Express Cassiopeia E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa
(※)・Broadcasting will be suspended during the following times.
From September 30th onwards: Mondays 4:00-11:30/Thursdays 16:00-19:00/Saturdays 4:00-11:30/Sundays 16:00-19:00
・Due to circumstances such as transportation disruptions, access to platform 13 may be restricted or broadcasting may be stopped without prior notice.
<Broadcast image>
About Calligraphy Art
By employing internationally active calligrapher SHIN-REI, who has a track record of collaborating with various cultural scenes such as sports, music, games, and fashion, and who has performed calligraphy at the Louvre Museum and written the title characters for the Judo Grand Slam Osaka 2019, we have created calligraphy art that is suitable for video content that will disseminate cultural values to the world at Ueno Station as a "cultural creation hub."
2. Demonstration experiment of QR code projection fused with railway images using generative AI
In conjunction with the broadcast of the railway x art content "Famous Trains at Ueno Station," a demonstration experiment of new technology utilizing projected images will be conducted at PLATFORM13 with the cooperation of Epson Sales Co., Ltd. and Flyby Inc.
A QR code fused with a train graphic image generated by AI will be projected onto the station platform. By reading this QR code with a smartphone camera, users can access a special page on the JRE MALL website featuring merchandise for the eight famous trains.
[Reference] Shin-Rei
Calligrapher MaMio
She started calligraphy at the age of 7. She has won numerous awards at the Yomiuri Calligraphy Exhibition and the Japan Calligraphy Institute Exhibition. She is active not only in Japan, but also in Europe, America, and Asia, where she has performed calligraphy at the Louvre Museum in France, and is active globally, holding workshops and solo exhibitions. She is also actively exploring new possibilities and fields of calligraphy, such as the world's first collaboration between calligrapher Mae and Waterlight Graffiti.
[Reference] The vision of the "Beyond Stations Concept"
Starting with the goal of enriching people's lives, we will transform the layout and function of station spaces while taking advantage of the strengths of stations as real-world exchange hubs, and by expanding the JRE POINT living area, we will transform stations from "transportation hubs" to "life platforms."
At our model station, Ueno Station, we will continue to expand our services that combine the real world and online, and realize the "enriching lifestyle" that only we can provide.
[Reference] July 29, 2024 Press Release: Ueno Station "PLATFORM13" to open in its entirety
URL: https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2024/20240729_ho03.pdf
From the press release of East Japan Railway Company
Article provided by: Kokosil Ueno