The Shibuya 5G Entertainment Project, comprised of KDDI, Shibuya Mirai Design, and the Shibuya Tourism Association, along with participating companies, held "Virtual Shibuya au 5G Halloween Fes 2021" from October 16th to 31st within the "Virtual Shibuya" public platform. The event aimed to contribute to society through enjoyment, embodying the concept of "FUN FOR GOOD."

Many events have been canceled or postponed due to self-restraint measures. While infection numbers have fortunately decreased recently, the situation remains unpredictable.

Amidst this, the Shibuya 5G Entertainment Project hosted "Virtual Shibuya au 5G Halloween Fes 2021" for the second year, allowing people to enjoy Halloween from home. Collaborating with anime, artists, and companies who supported the event's concept, they organized various activities, attracting a total of 550,000 participants worldwide.

This year's virtual Halloween aimed not only to avoid crowds in the real Shibuya and prevent the spread of COVID-19 but also to evolve Halloween beyond mere gathering and revelry. The concept of "FUN FOR GOOD"—contributing to society through enjoyment—was central to this new vision.

In collaboration with anime, artists, and companies who embraced this concept, a variety of virtual events were held from October 16th to 31st. Avatars dressed in Halloween costumes visited the virtual Shibuya, enjoying the virtual space in their own ways.

This year, the avatar platform "AVATARIUM" partnered with Virtual Shibuya, enabling users to generate original avatars from their photos. Not only could people explore the virtual space with their own avatars, but they could also enjoy dressing them up in costumes from collaborations with "Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night" and "Detective Conan."

During the Halloween Fes, official "staff" avatars appeared in the virtual space to guide attendees on how to navigate, provide event information, and take photos, enhancing the virtual experience. This initiative was realized through a collaboration with "Metajob!," a venture studio of Mitsui & Co. Global Investments aiming to create new ways of working that allow people to work from anywhere.

Daily events included virtual talk live sessions for "Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night" and "Detective Conan." Voice actors such as Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Kirito), Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna), and Toru Furuya (Amuro Tooru) appeared in Virtual Shibuya, offering a sense of closeness unique to the virtual space.

Additionally, daily events featured virtual music live performances by Creepy Nuts, MY FIRST STORY, and Atarashii Gakko no Leaders, as well as a novel solo virtual karaoke experience with Machico, in collaboration with JOYSOUND. Spectators, gathered as avatars, shared numerous excited comments.

The official shop also offered original merchandise for the virtual Halloween event. All proceeds from the virtual space are scheduled to be donated to Shibuya Ward starting in November, through Shibuya Mirai Design.

Through this year's virtual Halloween event, we were able to present a model case for a unique metaverse, a "Virtual City" where local governments and virtual spaces collaborate, looking towards the post-COVID era, in addition to addressing Shibuya's social issues. Moving forward, "Virtual Shibuya" and the "Shibuya 5G Entertainment Project" will continue to contribute to next-generation entertainment and the development of Shibuya by combining entertainment with communication technology, using Shibuya as their stage.