There are thousands of rare figurines to collect in Japan, but nobody will have one quite like this. Become a warrior without leaving your home with this year’s IS JAPAN COOL? campaign, “SAMURAI AVATAR,” brought to you by All Nippon Airways (ANA). The ingenious craftsmen behind this project have created a digital fitting room, where you upload your own face into the body of a samurai. The fully customizable armor is molded after authentic fighting garb and updated with modern colors and patterns. If a digital version of yourself isn’t enough, you can download the specs and have your samurai self 3D printed and take home a tangible copy. Learn more about the process here.
IS JAPAN COOL? endeavors to promote the country by featuring uniquely Japanese attractions. Even though TW didn’t need any convincing of Japan’s coolness, we gave the project a go and created an avatar of our own.
The online process is free and takes only minutes: you upload a photo and the face-recognition technology situates it into your armor. From there, all you have to do is dress your avatar, which is a somewhat similar process to creating a Sims character, but in the lavish regalia of a traditional soldier. You can add your own twist, with options like a camouflage jinbaori (a short coat without sleeves worn over armor) and a polka-dotted dou (chest plate).
Once you’ve finished and named your creation, you have the option of sharing your samurai on social media or continuing on to the 3D printing process (for an additional charge). It’s a great opportunity to take home something unique, personal, and still quintessentially Japanese. We can’t wait to see what IS JAPAN COOL? comes up with next.
