Ever wanted to own a piece of Tokyo real estate? Now a tiny piece of the megalopolis can be yours, thanks to this Japanese company.
For a modest fee, you can participate in a campaign by Japanese company, iJet Inc., to recreate one of the world’s largest cities in 100 different, scaled-down models – all created with state-of-the-art 3-D printing technology. The designers refer to the project as a 3-D map, and their Kickstarter campaign offers a slick video showing off some of the impressive, yet diminutive views it offers of Tokyo’s expansive architectural landscape.
As part of the One Hundred Tokyo project, iJet has created a series of meticulously designed, painted models measuring ten square centimeters. Each piece recreates a part of the city in miniature, offering a faithful replica of both the city’s most familiar landmarks, like Sky Tree and Mori Tower, as well as other, less-celebrated features of Japan’s largest urban area.
In the video that introduces this unique project, the CEO of iJet, Masaru Kumehara, explains the context for the project and his company, which he founded in 2009 as a manufacturer of 3-D printed goods. He describes Tokyo as a “world city” that will continue drawing greater numbers of tourists ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, an event highly anticipated in Japan as an opportunity to share new ideas with a global audience. His colleague, Ryusuke Matsuura, says the project represents an opportunity to share the appeal and sophistication of 3-D printing technology with a broader audience.
After some of the project members share the level of work that went into recreating the cityscape using data for car navigation software as a point of departure, the CEO reappears, appealing to the audience for help to realize the project as an actual product that people can enjoy for themselves. The company has produced 13 of the planned 100 pieces so far, but the cost of analyzing the vast amounts of data necessary to print the resin models has made it difficult to complete the project.
▼ Check out the video below.
Now the company is seeking support on the crowdfunding platform to complete the remaining parts of the project, and has succeeded in generating over US$20,000 so far. A donation of US$85 to the campaign will snag you a model of your own, and because it’s magnetic, you can even clip it to your fridge!
With over a week left to go before the end of the fundraising period, it appears that iJet will manage to achieve its goal several times over, and hopefully bring the project to market so I can grab me a piece!
Sources: Archdaily, One Hundred Tokyo/Kickstarter.com
Images: One Hundred Tokyo/Screenshots by RocketNews 24