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Japan’s Kadinche launches panoramic movie sharing platform

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See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based Kadinche launched a spherical panorama video-sharing platform today, called Pano Plaza Movie. Users can upload panoramic videos to the platform and share them with other users through social network platforms. Video clips set to “open to the public” will be listed in the portal page of the platform. See also: Japanese cafe and restaurant portal makes use of Panoplaza to virtualize local spaces Tokyo Office Tour: Panoplaza has a 360-degree view of the world Conventional video platforms do not allow rotation of panoramic video clips or they have a file upload limit, but Kadiche’s platform addresses these issues. Kadiche has introduced a virtualization service of real stores in partnership with e-commerce platform provider Stores.jp as well as panoramic video creation platform PanoMovie. You can record panoramic video clips with cameras like Ricoh’s THETA m15. But in view of the recent trend of selfie sticks, many smartphones will have features allowing users to record panoramic video clips sooner or later.

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See the original story in Japanese.

Tokyo-based Kadinche launched a spherical panorama video-sharing platform today, called Pano Plaza Movie. Users can upload panoramic videos to the platform and share them with other users through social network platforms. Video clips set to “open to the public” will be listed in the portal page of the platform.

See also:

Conventional video platforms do not allow rotation of panoramic video clips or they have a file upload limit, but Kadiche’s platform addresses these issues.

Kadiche has introduced a virtualization service of real stores in partnership with e-commerce platform provider Stores.jp as well as panoramic video creation platform PanoMovie. You can record panoramic video clips with cameras like Ricoh’s THETA m15. But in view of the recent trend of selfie sticks, many smartphones will have features allowing users to record panoramic video clips sooner or later.

Japanese cafe and restaurant portal makes use of Panoplaza to virtualize local spaces

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Tokyo-based startup Kadinche announced today that its panoramic virtual tour technology Panoplaza will be used by Recruit Lifestyle for its restaurant and cafe portal site, AirWALLETxCAFE. For Kadinche, it’s pretty significant to tie up with a web operator of Recruit’s stature, which should bring them some promising exposure as they pursue other such business from similar portals dealing in things like real estate, hotels, and shops. Recruit Lifestyle is a subsidiary of Japanese internet giant Recruit. Readers may recall that it was just last week when Recruit Lifestyle struck a partnership with another startup Freee to integrate with its AirRegi app.

Tokyo-based startup Kadinche announced today that its panoramic virtual tour technology Panoplaza will be used by Recruit Lifestyle for its restaurant and cafe portal site, AirWALLETxCAFE. For Kadinche, it’s pretty significant to tie up with a web operator of Recruit’s stature, which should bring them some promising exposure as they pursue other such business from similar portals dealing in things like real estate, hotels, and shops.

Recruit Lifestyle is a subsidiary of Japanese internet giant Recruit. Readers may recall that it was just last week when Recruit Lifestyle struck a partnership with another startup Freee to integrate with its AirRegi app.

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Japan’s Kadinche now offering panoramic movies, recorded with 6 GoPro cameras at once

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When we last visited with Tokyo-based Kadinche, the creators of Panoplaza, they gave us a glimpse of their 360-degree video recording tool, employing a clever six-camera GoPro cubic mount recorder (pictured below, left). Recently the company has officially announced this video solution, cleverly dubbed ‘Panomovie’, making it an available option to their clients in addition to their panoramic photography offerings. Using their GoPro solution, they can record video from either a static or moving viewpoint (the latter is obviously more fun!), with cameras recording six different views from that position. And then by using their own photo stitching software (you can opt for commercial software as well), they can then combine all six camera views to create a complete 360-degree video view. You can preview some examples of how it looks in the video above. That video can subsequently be viewed using a variety of devices, including PC and smartphones, or even on a head-mounted display like Oculus Rift, able to control the directional view with ease. So what are the possible applications for such a technology? Kadinche lists potential clients as amusement facilities, sightseeing spots, real estates, retails, concerts, and sports. I asked Kadinche CEO Soko Aoki if he…

When we last visited with Tokyo-based Kadinche, the creators of Panoplaza, they gave us a glimpse of their 360-degree video recording tool, employing a clever six-camera GoPro cubic mount recorder (pictured below, left). Recently the company has officially announced this video solution, cleverly dubbed ‘Panomovie’, making it an available option to their clients in addition to their panoramic photography offerings.

Using their GoPro solution, they can record video from either a static or moving viewpoint (the latter is obviously more fun!), with cameras recording six different views from that position. And then by using their own photo stitching software (you can opt for commercial software as well), they can then combine all six camera views to create a complete 360-degree video view. You can preview some examples of how it looks in the video above.

That video can subsequently be viewed using a variety of devices, including PC and smartphones, or even on a head-mounted display like Oculus Rift, able to control the directional view with ease.

So what are the possible applications for such a technology? Kadinche lists potential clients as amusement facilities, sightseeing spots, real estates, retails, concerts, and sports.

I asked Kadinche CEO Soko Aoki if he had any plans to integrate Leap Motion as a possible controller for exploring panoramic photos. He affirms that they have tested Leap Motion as a means of controlling their panoramas, and are searching for clients who might take advantage of such a gesture interface to panoramic contents.

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Tokyo Office Tour: Panoplaza has a 360-degree view of the world

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Panoplaza, a platform created by Tokyo-based Kadinche, enables the creation of virtual spaces through the use of panoramic technology. In the past we have written about some implementations, including a number of retailers who use it to more realistically show how their store looks, all in the browser and viewable across many devices. Check out their panoramas of Daimaru department stores or Tokyu Hikarie to see what the service is capable of doing. In our latest Tokyo Office Tour, I had a chance to visit the Kadinche office. CEO Soko Aoki explained a little more about how they work, and what lies ahead for Panoplaza. I like photography, so it was really fun to see some of the gear they use on their Panoramic photo shoots. In addition to super-wide fisheye lenses, they also have some custom fabricated tools (using a Makerbot 3D printer on site) for mounting multiple GoPro cameras for 360-degree video recording. Panoplaza’s advantage, of course, lies in its software, and the end result when the images are processed into the final panoramic presentation. Soko expects that retailers and e-commerce players will make more use of these panoramic presentation, as it has high potential as an O2O…

Panoplaza, a platform created by Tokyo-based Kadinche, enables the creation of virtual spaces through the use of panoramic technology. In the past we have written about some implementations, including a number of retailers who use it to more realistically show how their store looks, all in the browser and viewable across many devices. Check out their panoramas of Daimaru department stores or Tokyu Hikarie to see what the service is capable of doing.

In our latest Tokyo Office Tour, I had a chance to visit the Kadinche office. CEO Soko Aoki explained a little more about how they work, and what lies ahead for Panoplaza.

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I like photography, so it was really fun to see some of the gear they use on their Panoramic photo shoots. In addition to super-wide fisheye lenses, they also have some custom fabricated tools (using a Makerbot 3D printer on site) for mounting multiple GoPro cameras for 360-degree video recording. Panoplaza’s advantage, of course, lies in its software, and the end result when the images are processed into the final panoramic presentation.

Soko expects that retailers and e-commerce players will make more use of these panoramic presentation, as it has high potential as an O2O tool.

For users, being able to access such a virtual space online has many benefits, as you retain the sense of exploring a realistic space. But you can also benefit from supplementary info and functions, like clicking on a product to see more information or to make a purchase directly. Just recently Kadinche announced two new retailers that are using its service: Kintetsu Department Store (see their Abeno Harukas store panoramas) and Seibu Department Store in Shibuya (see their 15 panorama spots here).

Readers may recall that the company has previously partnered with Stores.jp to help small businesses create panoramic online store fronts.

Given the work required to do these photo shoots, the business does lack some scalability at present. But the company has managed to carve out a niche that appeals to big retailers, and Soko hopes they can manage to scale their operations further so they can do more. I hope they can do well, because I think the upcoming 2020 Olympics could represent an opportunity for a company like Kadinche, helping the city and its many retailers with promotion.

CEO Soko Aoki at the Kadinche office
CEO Soko Aoki at the Kadinche office
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Their meeting room sits just adjacent to a pedestrian street in a quiet neighborhood
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Kadinche logo signals we’re in the right spot
Fisheye lenses galore, and a fun Go Pro set-up for video
Fisheye lenses galore, and a fun Go Pro set-up for video
A 3D printer for making custom mounts
A 3D printer for making custom mounts

Japanese shop builder Stores.jp partners with Panoplaza for 360-degree e-commerce

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We have previously written about Panoplaza, a slick photography solution that can be used to create virtual online stores using panoramic photos of real stores. The company’s founder Soko Aoki tells us today that it has now partnered with up-and-coming Tokyo-based, e-commerce startup Stores.jp, a service that lets anyone easily create their own online shop. As of this past April, Stores.jp hosted over 30,000 online stores. It already offers professional photography services for items users wish to sell. So for any small retailers who already have an offline presence, the capability to bring that online with this new Panoplaza’s unique 360-degree store view is a very attractive offering. Stores.jp users can now apply for the service, which costs 25,000 yen, or about $250. The idea, of course, being that once viewers see the store online, that it would induce them to visit the store in person. In Japan, we’re seeing a number of intriguing e-commerce startups providing alternatives to the perennial market leader Rakuten, which still has an abundance of painfully ugly online store fronts harkening back to the days of GeoCities and Altavista. Stores’ competitor Base recently launched a new iOS app that allows users to build their store…

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We have previously written about Panoplaza, a slick photography solution that can be used to create virtual online stores using panoramic photos of real stores. The company’s founder Soko Aoki tells us today that it has now partnered with up-and-coming Tokyo-based, e-commerce startup Stores.jp, a service that lets anyone easily create their own online shop.

As of this past April, Stores.jp hosted over 30,000 online stores. It already offers professional photography services for items users wish to sell. So for any small retailers who already have an offline presence, the capability to bring that online with this new Panoplaza’s unique 360-degree store view is a very attractive offering.

Stores.jp users can now apply for the service, which costs 25,000 yen, or about $250. The idea, of course, being that once viewers see the store online, that it would induce them to visit the store in person.

In Japan, we’re seeing a number of intriguing e-commerce startups providing alternatives to the perennial market leader Rakuten, which still has an abundance of painfully ugly online store fronts harkening back to the days of GeoCities and Altavista.

Stores’ competitor Base recently launched a new iOS app that allows users to build their store completely on their mobile. Base is a hot startup in the Japanese space these days, and when I asked Soko about them he says that he would welcome a conversation with them as well, but notes that he hasn’t spoken with the company yet.

A Unique View: Soko Aoki of PanoPlaza on the Opportunities in Panoramas

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We’ve previously featured PanoPlaza, a fun panoramic photo tool operated by Japan-based Kadinche Corporation that has functioned as a useful tool for retailers to create virtual online stores. The company’s CEO, Soko Aoki, recently had a chance to attend the International Panoramic Photography Conference this year in Iceland. This event is the biggest of its kind in the world, and it featured 30 talks and 150 participants. Soko was the only speaker from Japan at the event. As we have noted on this site more than a few times, Japan is a country that’s very enthusiastic about photo apps. But Soko says that use of panoramic photographs has not really hit the Japanese or Asian markets just yet. He explained this at the conference, and noted that many companies in attendance showed interest in coming to the Japanese market. He adds: Most Japanese panoramic photography companies only shoot panoramas and simply put them on their websites. But in Europe and America, there are many companies and individuals who are working on more advanced features such as panoramic movies, aerial panoramas, and panoramic camera hardware. Seeing all this, I have learned a lot from being at the event. It’s interesting to…

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Soko Aoki presenting

We’ve previously featured PanoPlaza, a fun panoramic photo tool operated by Japan-based Kadinche Corporation that has functioned as a useful tool for retailers to create virtual online stores. The company’s CEO, Soko Aoki, recently had a chance to attend the International Panoramic Photography Conference this year in Iceland. This event is the biggest of its kind in the world, and it featured 30 talks and 150 participants.

Soko was the only speaker from Japan at the event.

As we have noted on this site more than a few times, Japan is a country that’s very enthusiastic about photo apps. But Soko says that use of panoramic photographs has not really hit the Japanese or Asian markets just yet. He explained this at the conference, and noted that many companies in attendance showed interest in coming to the Japanese market. He adds:

Most Japanese panoramic photography companies only shoot panoramas and simply put them on their websites. But in Europe and America, there are many companies and individuals who are working on more advanced features such as panoramic movies, aerial panoramas, and panoramic camera hardware. Seeing all this, I have learned a lot from being at the event.

It’s interesting to note that while Japan is so enthusiastic about mobile photography and photography in general, that companies are not yet exploring the opportunities that lie in panoramic photography as much as they are in other regions.

While Soka says that one of his main goals in attending was to find out cutting edge panoramic photo technology being used elsewhere, I’m sure that the event provided a good chance for him to spread the word about his PanoPlaza service as well.

Readers may recall when we reported about PanoPlaza’s tie-up with Japanese retail giant Don Quijote, providing a solution for employees to virtually visit stores in remote locations to visually manage their merchandise. That’s just one example of how the technology can be used, and it will be interesting to see what other ones emerge in the future.

Don Quijote using Panoplaza for merchandise management
Don Quijote using Panoplaza for merchandise management

Japan’s PanoPlaza helps retail management visit franchise stores virtually

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Japan’s Kadinche Corp is announcing today that well-known Japanese discount chain Don Quijote will be using their PanoPlaza service (a 360-degree panoramic virtual shop) on their intranet. This is an interesting use of the panoramic store-front technology, which has mostly been used as a consumer-facing service that allows visitors to browse stores on the web in a manner that reflects their actual layout and appearance. But the folks at Don Quijote saw a need for a way to browse their own stores online, in the interests of keeping their many stores (more than 160 in Japan) so far) up to date on changes to its interior and its merchandise presentation. Kadinche Corp explains in its announcement that typically when a new Don Quijote store opens or when new staff are hired, representatives from its headquarters would have to physically visit each store show them how merchandise should be shelved. As you can see in the photos below, the panoramic view gives a great overview of what the interior of stores look like. Don Quijote has so far added over 600 panoramic photos, covering 21 stores and 50,000 square meters of area. It’s interesting to see Kadinche Corp’s technology used in…

Japan’s Kadinche Corp is announcing today that well-known Japanese discount chain Don Quijote will be using their PanoPlaza service (a 360-degree panoramic virtual shop) on their intranet.

This is an interesting use of the panoramic store-front technology, which has mostly been used as a consumer-facing service that allows visitors to browse stores on the web in a manner that reflects their actual layout and appearance. But the folks at Don Quijote saw a need for a way to browse their own stores online, in the interests of keeping their many stores (more than 160 in Japan) so far) up to date on changes to its interior and its merchandise presentation.

Kadinche Corp explains in its announcement that typically when a new Don Quijote store opens or when new staff are hired, representatives from its headquarters would have to physically visit each store show them how merchandise should be shelved.

As you can see in the photos below, the panoramic view gives a great overview of what the interior of stores look like. Don Quijote has so far added over 600 panoramic photos, covering 21 stores and 50,000 square meters of area.

It’s interesting to see Kadinche Corp’s technology used in this manner, because I was a little skeptical when I first saw this technology that customer interest in online/virtual storefronts could be sustained. But serving corporate customers in such a way is an interesting twist for PanoPlaza. I’m told the company has some other projects coming up, so I look forward to hearing about those as well.

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