Japanese craftsmanship is a way of life for artisans who continue faithfully making their traditional crafts while devoting themselves to enhancing their skills.
This year’s ANA Airlines focus on “Is Japan Cool?” project on Japanese artisans with expert command of unusual techniques inherited from ancient times — now rare in today’s world.
SAMURAI AVATAR:
This is one of the main features that enables a site visitor to create a personal SAMURAI AVATAR — an original virtual/real samurai figure. The visitor first attaches an image of his or her face to the figure and then customizes the design of armor parts to suit personal preferences — including such customizable parts as armor shape, color, and background design.
The completed SAMURAI AVATAR can not only be shared via social media but also be shown on a world map with a preferred avatar nickname, so site visitors can see how many SAMURAI AVATARs are created by country or region, in real time.
Avatar creators can also download 3D data for 3D printing to reproduce a real armor figure. Notes: The visitor can choose not to upload a facial image. 3D data for 3D printing can be downloaded free, but cost is incurred for actual 3D printing. Those who wish to print the 3D data may need to deliver it to a 3D printing service.
CRAFTSMANSHIP INTERVIEWS:
Feature articles spotlight the spirit of tradition that dwells in these often unknown artisans who support Japanese people’s lives and cultures with the works they make by hand.The project team wishes to reach as many people as possible and share the true stories of these artisans and their treasured craft legacies.
