One of Many Tokyo's - Tokyo Mainland

The buzz at the moment - at least, among those not geeking out the Chicago Hilton at SLCC'07 - is of the opening of Virtual Tokyo. I have to say, though, that my attempts to locate it have thus far been in vain, and I am left wondering if it is a virtual Virtual Tokyo. What my travels have turned up is Tokyo Mainland and I have to say I really like this sim!


It's a bizarrely kaleidoscopic place - humorous and cartoon-like. I think it is supposed to be a commercial sim, offering shops and the like; at least, you can buy micro-sized toy robot avatars there. But so much of the sim is given over to playful views and effects, it is hard to know. Here's a collection of piccies I took of the place, to give you an idea:

To be honest there isn't a lot to do here... at least not yet. I think the sim has not been open long, and it is certainly in need of some interactivity. But it's a fun place to look around.

It is also home to Gouichi Hatakeyama art gallery (not looked inside it yet), that sits perched above the clouds. That yellow asteroid thingy in the picture above also features on the linked website - which contains the 2 English words "Illustration" and "Design."

Ah... now then... maybe it is becoming clearer. This is looking like a showcase sight for a Japanese design company that specialises in cartoon-like imagery. Yes? No? Oh... I give up! If you know, please post a comment and put me out of my confusion.