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Akihabara’s otaku shrine celebrates PlayStation 5 launch with ethereal one-night event

Oona McGee Nov 12, 2020
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The PS5 is welcomed into the world at a Japanese shrine with a long history of protecting electronics.

The hotly anticipated release date for the PlayStation 5 has finally arrived in Japan, and last night, a 1,270-year-old shrine in Tokyo’s most famous otaku district became the site for a projection mapping event to mark the 12 November launch.

Kanda Shrine, located less than ten minutes walk from Akihabara Station, has long been known as a popular holy site amongst otaku. Here, prayers are penned on anime-adorned amulets and electronics receive blessings from Shinto priests, so it makes sense that Sony would opt to debut their new console with a display on such sacred grounds.

▼ The event ran on 11 November from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, with the light show taking place directly in front of the main shrine building.

https://twitter.com/Kanda_omiyage/status/1326474477476044808

Kanda Shrine shared the above video of the projection mapping event on their official Twitter account, asking people to drop in on their way home from shopping in Akihabara. And drop in they did, as videos from visitors started popping up online, showing the shrine looking eerily beautiful lit up with the blue-themed display.

https://twitter.com/koichinko/status/1326469072641433600

▼ The display included the PS5 logo, tagline, and Circle, X, Square, and Triangle buttons.

神田明神がPS5仕様になってる(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) #PS5 めっちゃいい👍 pic.twitter.com/pqgi7W9dDe

— こちら江東区亀戸駅前お弁当屋キッチンDIVE広報部兼包丁研技師 (@DIVE33025982) November 11, 2020

▼ The light show took place between the main gate and shrine, on the path where spirits are said to walk.

NJKを観に神田明神に行ったら
PS5発売記念？で
ライトアップ&プロジェクションマッピングしてた✨ pic.twitter.com/YedHN5iXif

— 愛美☆ (@itoitomi) November 11, 2020

やっばこれ！！！#PS5 #神田明神 pic.twitter.com/G9YPVMTWHY

— 松嶋初音😇xǝunsʇɐɥ (@HATSUNEXJAPAN) November 11, 2020

▼ The main gate was also awash with blue for the celebrations.

PS5 だけどめがてんはじまっちゃう。#神田明神 https://t.co/MP9oXhfoph pic.twitter.com/vxRKOdepY1

— miremon (@miremon) November 11, 2020

Due to the pandemic, Sony decided to refrain from holding in-store launch events, so this outdoor display at Kanda Shrine was the perfect way to mark the occasion. People online agreed, saying:

“Wow, this is sooooo beautiful!”
“Combining the cyber world with Japanese style architecture is so Japanese!”
“Kanda Shrine is so cool for collaborating with anime and game giants like this.”
“Wish I could’ve been there to walk through the cyberpunk environment!”
“If only they could continue this light show for longer!”

The one-night event made news around Japan, further cementing Kanda Shrine’s reputation as a holy site for anime and gaming fans. The sacred shrine, which appeared in Animal Crossing and even hosted a Ghibli exhibition in the past, helped to add an ethereal, otherworldly element to the long-awaited launch, and here’s hoping it safeguards everyone’s consoles as they begin to arrive on doorsteps from today.

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Flickr/Mikhail Kotykhov (edited by SoraNews24)
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