【14th Round】We Ask Diorama Artist Mr. Majiri What Travel Will Look Like in Five Years

The New Buds of Tourism, Exploring the Shape and Future of Tourism Five Years Ahead

This column focuses on knowing and pinpointing changes in future tourism and travel trends and brings in expertise from a specialist outside of the travel industry to share their thoughts.
We’re talking today with Mr. Majiri, a diorama artist who talks about how great dioramas and cityscapes are on his YouTube Channel, as he makes realistic 1/150 scale models.

Mr. Majiri

　
Born in 1998, from Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture. He majored in Architectural Engineering at Wakayama University and entered a diorama production company in charge of the miniature models. In 2022, he established himself independently working on making diorama models. He uploads videos of the production of these models he creates at Cityscape Studio on YouTube, showcasing locations such as the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and many other realistic diorama portrayals of cityscapes.

Turning Point on Making Dioramas

　
Explorer: It’s nice to meet you today. Can you tell me about what sort of work you do at the moment?
　
Mr. Majiri: I focus on making diorama models. As for what I make, I focus on and recreate mostly areas of interests in cityscapes, such as the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Shinjuku Station South Exit, Sannomiya Station in Kobe for Kansai, etc. I’ll also talk about the production that goes into it on YouTube. Some model train companies will ask me to make dioramas as well. Lately, I’ve been getting work from movie production companies to make sets, so I’ll do those as well.
　
Explorer: Thank you for that. What was the catalyst for you to start making dioramas?
　
Mr. Majiri: I truly started making them when I was in my fourth year of university about four years ago. At the time I was studying architecture and devoted my time to working on solar cars. However, I wasn’t able to go to school because of COVID-19 in 2020, so all my activities had to stop. I had so much time on my hands now so I thought what I could do to fill that time. I remembered I liked railways and cityscapes so I thought of dioramas that I could make by myself at home.

　

Thoughts of “Everyday” in the Dioramas

　
Explorer: I’d like to ask you your thoughts about creating your diorama models. Do you have any particular points you focus on when you create them?
　
Mr. Majiri: I focus on creating landscapes of everyday life. There’s something charming about experiencing new landscapes at a travel destination. That’s not everyday life. I believe there are hidden charms in the sceneries we see every day. That is what I think and that “everyday charm” is what I want to relay in my dioramas. That is why I create those scenes that people are familiar with. With dioramas, you can see the scene from different angles and lines of sight you normally wouldn’t be able to. For example, you’ll notice that there are trains running below you or that there’s a building you didn’t recognize before. I am always conscious to create something that will give the viewer new discoveries in everyday scenes.
　
Explorer: You want people to discover new charms by looking at the “everyday” in a different way, a different line of sight. That line of thinking had a foundation. Was the line from your introduction on your website, “Memorializing the landscapes of Heisei” born from this line of thinking?
　
Mr. Majiri: Yeah, that’s right. I was born during the Heisei years, so I grew up seeing the landscapes of the time. However, the end of Heisei was six years ago. I thought the landscape of the time would eventually disappear. You can see the redevelopments of Shibuya and Shinjuku clearly. Also, there are many diorama creators who build models of the Showa Era, but not so many of the Heisei Era. So I want to memorialize the time I was born and raised by building these dioramas myself. I also think there will be nostalgia for the Heisei Era eventually (laughs). I hope people will see the value when the time comes for the Heisei Era to have its spotlight by building the dioramas now.
　
Explorer: You create these dioramas to memorialize your own everyday life then. As such, what sort of skills or viewpoints do you need when creating these dioramas?
　
Mr. Majiri: There are two things necessary. The first is constant observation skills. Noticing the small details of everyday scenes. One of my hobbies is to ride my bike around town and look around when there aren’t many people for charming places and things. I also pay attention to the peculiarities of a specific location. For example, the different color or displays of the asphalt or whatever makes that location unique. When those are different, the vibes can be different. Having eyes for observation is important. The second is technical skills. You need technical skills to accurately recreate any particular location. I use 3D CAD (software to create 3D digital models) and plan out where to put what buildings, things and people in the diorama. Then I use a 3D printer to print it out. I also paint them after they are printed out but Tokyo can be kind of dirty so having the technical skills to recreate that sense of realism is important too.
　
Explorer: When laying out the design in 3D, do you go on location to measure out the buildings?
　
Mr. Majiri: I go on location to take pictures, but I don’t measure anything out. I calculate the measurements using a combination of Google Earth and Google Maps street view. Many people might not know this but Google Earth displays the heights of buildings, it’s quite convenient.
　
Explorer: I’m surprised to hear that’s how you calculate the measurements. Is there anything you want to be conscious of going forward to increase the quality of your dioramas?
　
Mr. Majiri: I want to put more effort into creating and directing a story. For example, there are a lot of photo weddings shoots in front of Tokyo Station. I want people to feel there’s a story in the diorama by creating and placing figures in those types of situations. When I am at events and meet people who see my dioramas, they often tell me, “I usually walk around here,” or “I often walked past by here.” I want to create dioramas that bring up memories in the people looking at them.
　
I would like to bring the production of dioramas to the level where they are considered works of art as a general trend going forward. Currently, dioramas are used as materials to explain something in museums. While I think that’s important, I also want people to feel emotions when they see dioramas. I want to create works of art that move people. That is why dioramas having a story or message will become important to realizing this. I’m working on improving my expressions and directing in this regard.

　

The Possibilities of Dioramas and Travel

　
Explorer: I would like to ask about dioramas, travel, tourism and how they’re related. What sort of possibilities do you see for dioramas in tourism?
　
Mr. Majiri: Recently, I heard about someone who bought a house after seeing my diorama at an event I was displaying my work (laughs). According to that person, they heard about that location for the first time. I’ve always focused on promoting the charms of everyday scenes, but I realized that dioramas can be used to showcase never-before-seen landscapes too. I think that dioramas can be used to revitalize local regions and promote tourism by showcasing those charms in the models.
　
Explorer: Do you have a specific idea in mind when using dioramas for tourism?
　
Mr. Majiri: There are two ways in which dioramas can be used for travel and tourism. The first one is to recreate local regions using dioramas and exhibit them in Tokyo and other major cities. By using them as promotional tools, we can create interest in these areas. Another way is to place the dioramas in the local regions to increase satisfaction with their experiences in the region by adding further discoveries in the region’s sceneries. I think it’s possible that dioramas are one way to get people to visit local regions.
　
Explorer: What was the catalyst for your passion to get people to visit local regions?
　
Mr. Majiri: I’m from Yokkaichi City in Mie Prefecture. I don’t think people know about what makes Yokkaichi City charming like I do. I always think I want people to know more but can’t figure out a way to do this and thus I never sprang into action for it. However, I started to think there are things I can do when I started my YouTube channel. That’s when I started to become conscious of how dioramas can be used for tourism.
　
Explorer: Thank you for telling me that. Mr. Majiri, what are the charms of traveling?
　
Mr. Majiri: Travel allows us to encounter new and unknown sceneries, and I also think it can be fun too. By discovering new sceneries, I believe you can also discover charms about your own daily life in your locale. That’s the significance of travel for me.
　
Explorer: Lastly, Mr. Majiri, what do you think travel will look like in five years?
　
Mr. Majiri: Lately, YouTubers have been improving their output, and I feel people are tuning into subjects they weren’t aware of or had any knowledge about. Travel is the same. In five years, regions that weren’t thought of as travel destinations will become so and niche places will receive more attention. I feel travel in five years will show a break off between the purpose of traveling and the destination. As I continue to promote the charms of each place using my dioramas, I hope to give someone a new place to visit. Half of the visitors to my YouTube channel are from overseas, so I hope many people create new destinations, no matter where they’re from.

　

The “Bud” We Found in this Exploration

We felt Mr. Majiri, who has been creating dioramas of cityscapes, has strong feelings toward the “everyday” according to this interview. We think interpreting the “everyday” by looking at places from different angles via dioramas also applies to travel. Experiences in the “unusual” or “not everyday” during travel serve to highlight the “everyday,” offering new opportunities to reexamine the “everyday” again. Changes happen fast in these modern times, so whenever you have time, try taking another look to observe your locale to see if there are any changes. (TOY)