Whether it's the radio, a CD or an in-car music streaming service, many drivers like to have their journeys set to the tune of a pleasing song—but the Ashinoko Skyline in Japan completely changes what it means to listen to music on the road.
In celebration of Golden Week, a portion of this private toll road has been turned into a place to listen to a song from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime when a car is driven over the pavement. Over the stretch of about 350 yards, the musical road creates a tactile vibration and rumbling that comes through the body and wheels of the car, set to the tune of the iconic anime song. Located in the city of Hakone, this is an area where Evangelion fans commonly gather, since it is where some of the anime takes place.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Interactive Road Experiences
- Creating roads that engage drivers with interactive experiences, such as musical vibrations, is a potential disruptive innovation opportunity.
- Anime-themed Road Entertainment
- Incorporating anime themes into road experiences, such as playing iconic anime songs, presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for attracting anime fans.
- Location-based Fan Engagement
- Creating specific locations where fans of a particular series can gather and engage in unique experiences, like listening to anime songs on a musical road, provides a disruptive innovation opportunity for fan engagement.
Where This Applies
- Transportation
- The transportation industry could explore integrating interactive road experiences to enhance the overall driving experience for customers.
- Entertainment
- The entertainment industry could leverage anime-themed road experiences to create immersive fan engagement opportunities and generate additional revenue streams.
- Tourism
- The tourism industry could promote location-based fan engagement experiences, such as visiting the Hakone city where the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion takes place, to attract anime fans and boost tourism revenue.
