[Experience Report] A culmination of NHK’s intellectual and technological resources! Experience the history of that time in “The Samurai’s Dream: The Phantom Toyotomi Osaka Castle”.

NHK and NHK Promotions will be holding a VR experience event, “The Samurai’s Dream – The Phantom Toyonishi Osaka Castle,” at the BEAM Gallery on the 4th floor of Shibuya BEAM from Friday, March 20th to Sunday, May 31st, 2026.

At this event, you can experience VR content based on a broadcast program jointly produced by NHK, NHK Promotions, NTT Docomo Studio & Live, and VIVERSE (HTC Group). (The official website lists “History Detective” as a related program for this event.) There is also a free-admission area at the venue where you can view exhibits related to the historical drama “Toyotomi Brothers!”.

This article reports on the media preview event held prior to the official launch.

The venue is the BEAM Gallery on the 4th floor of Shibuya BEAM. There is an exhibition area related to “Toyotomi Brothers!” in the passageway between the reception area and the experience area.

After checking in, you’ll find the experience area beyond the exhibition area.

The equipment and experience format were similar to free-roam VR (a format where you can experience VR by actually walking around in a large space). However, when I actually tried it, the range of motion you could walk in was quite limited, so if you experience it expecting a “free-roam” experience, there may be a big gap between your expectations and reality. Please keep that in mind.

The experience begins with each participant forming a group of about five people.

Using VR, you can truly experience how “information” that we only know in fragments today was undeniably “reality” at the time.

Guided by narration by Hayami Saori, who plays the “Incarnation of Castle Osaka,” you will tour the exterior and interior of Osaka Toyotomi Castle during the Sengoku period and witness the Siege Winter of Osaka in 1614. The experience takes approximately 25 minutes excluding explanation and preparation. (Approximately 40 minutes including explanation and preparation.)

For this event, they focused more on optimizing NHK’s existing digital assets for use as VR content than on creating new models. Visitors can view and experience VR spaces and 3DCG models created for NHK programs such as “History Detective.”

Visitors can view Toyotomi Osaka Castle from the outside, experience the murals symbolizing the military and financial power of the time and the spaces in which they were placed, and admire life-sized 3D models of helmets and armor worn by famous generals.
And an important point is that all of these are recreated in a vivid way, as if they were exactly as they were at the time. It was a completely different experience from viewing artifacts in modern art museums and museums.

The scene that left the strongest impression on me was the bombardment of Bizenjima Island.

The sheer size of the firearms, the distance to Osaka Castle, and the undeniable fact that human lives were at stake—these historical events in Japanese history, which are often consumed as entertainment in modern times, made me reflect deeply on the fact that, within the context of that time, they were undeniable “wars” in which human lives were at stake.

NHK and the future of VR: Great potential for “the enjoyment of pilgrimage-like experiences and deeper learning.”

NHK, with its extensive experience in producing historical dramas and other programs, has clearly demonstrated its expertise in historical research, evident in the narration, the depiction of the visuals, and the results of its research into VR expression, which were also glimpsed at the NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories Open House. As a result, the VR content undoubtedly possesses considerable depth as a historical piece.

However, despite the sophistication of the VR content creation technology itself, there was a sense of uncertainty and a work in progress regarding “what kind of VR experience we want to offer visitors.” Specifically, I felt this in the following points:

– The content progresses by walking, but the range of motion you can move while walking is quite limited.
– Scene transitions are more frequently achieved through blackouts than through walking.
– The experience will basically involve viewing the outside of the designated frame from inside the frame.
– The impression that the “incarnation of Osaka Castle” speaking is in the same space as us and speaking to us is weak; it sounds more like television narration.

I felt it was a bit of a missed opportunity that these production policies seemed to be based on a similar approach to creating traditional 2D television programs, where “the program is viewed through a flat surface like a television, and the space on the other side of the television is disconnected from the space on this side.” I wish they would explore more deeply “why they wanted to provide it as VR content rather than as a television program, and what kind of experience can only be provided through VR content.”

On the other hand, I also felt the potential of an event organized by NHK, particularly its connection to broadcast programs. This event was related to the NHK program “History Detective: Sengoku Special – Toyotomi Osaka Castle.” After experiencing this event, I watched the program, and the familiarity of thinking, “That’s the one I saw in VR!” made watching the program more enjoyable, and I found the explanations about Toyotomi Osaka Castle in the program easier to understand.

Conversely, if someone who has already watched the program attends this event, they will likely enjoy it even more, exclaiming, “That’s the thing I saw on the show!” Providing a kind of “pilgrimage” experience in this way, while simultaneously allowing viewers to deepen their learning, presents a significant possibility for the future of NHK and VR.

Specifically, in addition to the compatibility with history and historical dramas demonstrated at this event, various possibilities can be considered that are unique to NHK, which possesses a wide range of intellectual property. These include immersive experiences in the narrative worlds produced by NHK, such as morning dramas, linking learning with the languages, music, and art covered in the programs, and developing and expanding studio tours and experiences similar to the NHK Studio Park, which closed in 2020.

I look forward to the further development of NHK’s VR initiatives.

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