She displays a variety of emotions, ranging from bubbly to peeved, but overall Shinozaki seemed smitten enough with Seiji to give him a box of Valentine’s Day chocolate and a kiss.
1. VR visit to Japanese swimsuit model’s
apartment provides joy for dateless men
on Valentine’s Day
Ai Shinozaki, one of Japan’s hardest-working models, extends some VR
hospitality.
Ai Shinozaki could probably make a comfortable living doing nothing
more than smiling for the camera, seeing as how she covers the three
Bs of the Japanese modeling world: baby-faced, busty, and (frequently)
bikini-clad. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old Tokyo native has branched out
into a variety of other fields, including singing and acting.
She’s also become something of a darling of virtual reality content
creators. Of course, Shinozaki is the darling of a lot of men in Japan,
2. which is why one team of developers put together a VR program where
you can hang out with her in her apartment.
Dubbed VR Valentine, the program was shown off at the recent Hack
Day event in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district. “Hack Day” is
actually a bit of a misnomer, as the programming showcase took place
over the February 13/14 weekend, but hey, the presenters’ specialty is
technology, not linguistics.
3. We sent our Japanese-language reporter Seiji on the virtual date with
Shinozaki. He found the booth right inside the venue’s entrance, where
the staff ushered him into a curtained off area with a desk, PC, and VR
headset.
4. To be honest, the layout didn’t instill a sense of confidence. After all,
Seiji was supposed to be about to enter the private living quarters of a
professional swimsuit model, but the VR trial area was as Spartan as it
could be. Would it have killed the organizers to put a candle or
something on the desk?
But then again, in short order Seiji slipped on the VR headset, which is
outfitted with a helmet and headphones to block out any outside sounds
or visuals.
5. As the program started, Seiji found himself seated on a couch in a
tastefully decorated apartment. In front of him was a TV playing a video
of Shinozaki frolicking on the beach. This would actually be kind of a
strange thing for Shinozaki to have playing in her own home, but seeing
as how she’s easy on the eyes, we doubt most users complain about
this small gap in the scenario’s logic.
6. Besides, the virtual TV wasn’t going to be the center of attention for long.
Seiji could hear the sound of a door opening to his right, and in stepped
Shinozaki, who greeted him with a cheerful voice and warm smile.
7. Since this is supposed to be Shinozaki’s home, her attire is less
revealing than what she wears in many of her photo shoots. Still, Seiji
had no complaints about her ensemble of a fluffy sweater and shorts.
8.
9.
10. While the software doesn’t allow for a two-way conversation, Shinozaki
chats animatedly throughout the program.
11.
12. She displays a variety of emotions, ranging from bubbly to peeved, but
overall Shinozaki seemed smitten enough with Seiji to give him a box of
Valentine’s Day chocolate and a kiss.
13.
14. The whole thing is so immersive that Seiji completely forgot that he was
sitting in an almost depressingly plain booth at a programming
exhibition. He also didn’t seem to notice that his hands had been turned
to plastic in the virtual world, but we can’t blame him for having his eyes
elsewhere while experiencing the program in real time.
▼ And in the developers’ defense, dressing the user’s in-program
representation in a flannel shirt, the unofficial uniform of the lonely
Japanese computer geek, was probably a pretty smart call.
15. So in the end, how did Seiji rate the program?
“If there was a home version of this, I wouldn’t need a real girlfriend!”
16. After all, he’s already figured out a way to get Valentine’s Day chocolate
without one.
Watch more:
Ai Shinozaki Wikipedia
Ai Shinozaki Official site
Ai Shinozaki Official Twitter
Ai Shinozaki Ameba blog
AI Shinozaki Crowdfunding site
AI Shinozaki Facebook FanPage
AI Shinozaki YouTube Channel
