September 22, 2036 ‘Trip to Euro’: TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI

March 18, 2016

Lifestyle in 2036, imagined by creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, is introduced in seven segments, four from a short story and three from an interview with him. This is the third in a three-part series of the short story. The technological revolution in biometric authentication, new AI, and 3D printers has brought the world closer to us and has made lifestyles more luxurious. From now on people will always be more full of life and animated.

I arrived at Haneda Airport twenty minutes before takeoff.

I got out of the car at the terminal and went directly to get on the plane.

The departure procedures use a biological passport and the security check uses a biological scan.

I moved straight to the plane without stopping after getting out of the car.

The biometric authentication has really made those kinds of processes smooth.

After boarding the plane for Paris, a crew member spoke to me.

‘Hello, Mr. Mizuguchi. Welcome aboard. I will take you to your seat.’

In five hours the plane arrived at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. I exited the terminal.

The autonomous cruising UBER, which I reserved on the plane, approached, and the door opened in front of me.

A drone loaded my suitcase into the car. I headed to the place for dinner.

The clothes and tie for dinner had been already produced by a 3D printer.

Although these days shoes also can be printed out, I felt like wearing a pair of classic vintage shoes, and so ordered a drone delivery only for them.

I changed my clothes in the UBER, got out, and went to dinner.

On the day following the dinner, I reunited with Tommy, a friend of forty years.

We agreed to take a trip around Europe from Paris together with Tommy’s wife in an autonomous cruising vehicle on the weekend.

We left Paris, headed directly northwest, and passed through Normandy. We then took a route along the coastline toward Spain, passing the lush green forests in Basque, and reach dry lands lined with olive trees and grapevines.

Surrounded by ready-for-harvest golden grapes, rich aromas and refreshing winds blowing across the dry land produced an enchanting happiness.

There we helped the farmers to harvest grapes, read books during the hot daytime, built bonfires and gazed at the stars at night.

We stayed there two weeks and enjoyed the season to the fullest.

‘They say that it will snow for the first time on the summit of the Pyrenees tonight. How about going there during the night?’

Following Tommy’s proposal, we headed for the Pyrenees and drove during the night.

Robby-5, the new AI program installed in the autonomous cruising UBER, took us to the top of the snow-covered mountains in a smooth and safe way without any problems.

We rented a set of skiing equipment with drone delivery and enjoyed skiing down the Pyrenees for three hours on the first snow of the season.

The UBER arrived at the base of the mountains ahead of us and waited for our return.

Tommy and his wife went back to Paris by car.

I had three more days off.

I think I’ll take a look at the wave information gathered by the smart grid drone.

Let me see. Hmm.

At San Sebastian, just at high tide, good-size waves are forecasted.

In addition, offshore comfortable winds are likely to blow.

Well, I will wake up there tomorrow morning.

I’ll have a wet suit printed that is a bit thick at 3mm.

Next year, a service to provide loading one's own car on a plane is said to finally begin.

What could be better than constantly traveling around the world while doing one’s own work in one’s own space and being able to sleep in one’s own bed.

The car is heading straight for San Sebastian. It is to arrive there in seven hours.

I go to sleep after putting the car in the autonomous night-cruising mode.

PROFILE

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  Tetsuya MizuguchiMedia Designer / Project Professor, Keio University Graduate School of media Design; Founder, Resonair / CEO, Enhance Games, Inc.

  Involved in video games, music, moving images and application design, Mizuguchi continues with a synesthesia approach in his creative activities. In 2001, Mizuguchi released ‘Rez’. After that, ‘Lumines’ (2004), and then ‘Child of Eden’ (2010), a game that creates the possibility of a synesthesia experience through using Kinect like a conductor. Mizuguchi expanded the VR of ‘Rez’ in ‘Rez Infinite’ (2016) and continues to embark upon highly creative works. In 2006, Mizuguchi was chosen as one of the fifty people for the ‘Digital 50’ (World Digital Innovators 50 individuals), which is produced jointly by the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and the Hollywood Reporter magazine.

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  ZainIllustrator

  Zain has received high acclaim in Japan and abroad for combining edgy illustrations with dynamic spaces and pop art. Active on various fronts, Zain even worked on a collaborative advertisement with Hatsune Miku for Toyota America. She has created artwork for CD jackets as well as artwork for the cover and story of a novella.