The oldest theater in the Kinki region, “Izushi Eirakukan,” has been digitally archived using 3D scanning, making it accessible via VRChat and other virtual reality platforms.

On August 28, 2026, HoloLab Inc. released the virtual space “Eirakukan VR.” It is a 3D digital archive of the Izushi Eirakukan, a theater located in Izushi-cho, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture. It can be experienced on VRChat, cluster, and Arrival.Space.

Izushi Eirakukan is the oldest theater in the Kinki region, built in 1901. It thrived as a center of popular culture in the Tajima region, staging Kabuki, Shinpa plays, and rakugo performances. However, with the spread of television and the diversification of entertainment, it closed in 1964. Afterwards, following a preservation and restoration movement by local residents, a large-scale restoration and renovation was carried out from 2006 to 2008. It is the only example in the Kinki region where Meiji-era theater mechanisms such as a revolving stage, trapdoor, hanamichi (runway), and suppon (trapdoor) remain intact. It continues to be used as an active theater today.

(3D reproduction of the revolving stage mechanism located in the trapdoor)

This archive was created with the cooperation of Izushi Eirakukan, Toyooka City Izushi Promotion Bureau, and Hyogo Prefecture Digital Strategy Division. It combines point cloud data from the RTC360 terrestrial laser scanner, approximately 6,000 photographs taken with the α7RV mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, and data from the XGRIDS Lixel K1 handheld laser scanner.

These were processed using photogrammetry, which creates 3D models from photographs, and Gaussian splatting, which reproduces the appearance including light and atmosphere. The entire building, from the exterior to the audience seating, stage, and the area beneath the stage, was recorded as a single 3D data set. In areas like the understage area and dressing rooms, where it would be difficult for people to pass each other, the walking speed was reduced to about 20 centimeters per second to ensure quality.

#永楽館VR This is the launch link.#VRChat_world紹介 *For PCVRhttps://t.co/COdF1l9w6n#cluster_world紹介 *For smartphoneshttps://t.co/hFWHDFPlwq#ArrivalSpace *Simple version without gimmickshttps://t.co/Is1hMyb2zOpic.twitter.com/NqENsfC6Bj

— Ryu lilea (@lileaLab) August 28, 2026

“Eirakukan VR” Overview

This article is an English translation of an original Japanese article, translated by the Mogura VR editorial team.

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