Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus to Open to the Public on April 1, 2026

Cluster Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Naoto Kato) announces that the "Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus," developed on the metaverse platform "cluster" under commission from Aoyama Gakuin University (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroaki Inazumi), will be publicly released on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus is a VR campus developed with a view to its utilization in regular curriculum courses, providing a new learning environment that connects the Aoyama Campus and Sagamihara Campus in a virtual space. After its public release, it will be widely open as a place for visitors to experience the campus atmosphere, and is planned to be expanded for use in Aoyama Standard courses (university-wide common education system), open campus events, and exchange activities among alumni. This initiative is one of Aoyama Gakuin University's future-oriented educational practices, based on its medium-to-long-term vision. ■ Overview of the Public Release The Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus recreates characteristic spaces of both the Aoyama Campus and Sagamihara Campus as multiple worlds. For the Aoyama Campus, the "Main Gate," "Terrace," "Goucher Memorial Chapel," and "Rotary" will be open. For the Sagamihara Campus, the "Main Gate," "In front of the Chapel," "Wesley Chapel," "Square," and "Garden" will be open. In addition, "Classrooms" and "Learning Commons" are also provided as common learning spaces for both campuses. General visitors can tour the recreated campus spaces and the exteriors of representative buildings. The interiors of the "Goucher Memorial Chapel" and "Wesley Chapel" can also be viewed as part of the facilities. Links to each world will be provided in a separate note article. ▶https://note.com/aoyamagakuin_vr/n/n4912e223f9ab ■ Features and Educational Significance of This Initiative A key feature of this initiative is that it is not limited to recreating the campus in a virtual space, but is developed with the intention of being utilized in regular curriculum courses at Aoyama Gakuin University. In the first semester of the 2026 academic year, some Aoyama Standard (university-wide common education system) courses are scheduled to be offered utilizing this VR campus. In the newly established course "Digital Society and Creative Practice," classes will be held simultaneously at both the Aoyama Campus and Sagamihara Campus, creating an environment where students learning in classrooms on different campuses can learn together in the same virtual world. This will further promote cross-campus learning and interaction. For class implementation, the university will introduce a class operation support system by Cluster Inc. and is proceeding with system development for continuous class implementation. Furthermore, in these classes, it is envisioned that students from both campuses will attend using individual Meta Quest 3S devices, enabling immersive classes unique to VR. ■ Future Utilization Plans The Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus is planned to be utilized for the following purposes in the future: ・Utilization in regular curriculum courses, including Aoyama Standard courses ・Promotion of class practices where students from Aoyama Campus and Sagamihara Campus learn in the same VR space ・Consideration of expanding to class improvement and research utilization by leveraging user behavior data within the VR campus ・Holding open campus events utilizing the VR campus ・Utilization as a place for alumni interaction ・Holding events after the end of the first semester of the 2026 academic year, aimed at sharing class initiatives, etc. ■ Usage Environment To use the Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus, a smartphone (iOS / Android), PC, or Mac capable of installing the cluster app is required. It can also be used from VR headsets (Meta Quest) and PCVR environments. ■ Aoyama Gakuin University Comment The Aoyama Gakuin University VR Campus has been developed as a learning environment that not only widely conveys the charm of the campus but also anticipates its use in regular curriculum courses. We aim to connect both campuses and expand opportunities for students to learn and interact in new ways. Going forward, we will promote its use in classes, pre-exchange for overseas training, open campus events, and alumni interactions, and also consider the potential for utilizing behavioral data within the VR campus. ■ Cluster Inc. Comment Cluster Inc. is honored to have been involved in this initiative through the production of the VR campus commissioned by Aoyama Gakuin University and the operational support for class implementation. We will continue to support the creation of an environment that can be stably utilized in educational settings from both technical and operational aspects, thereby supporting Aoyama Gakuin University's continuous educational practices. Additionally, we will cooperate as needed with the university's future considerations regarding the utilization of behavioral data and research applications. ■ Related Information Cluster Inc.'s initiatives in education: https://www.educator.cluster.mu/ ■ About the "cluster" Application cluster is a virtual space construction platform that allows creators to freely embody and share the worlds they envision. It supports browsers, smartphones, and VR, and is equipped with systems for building desired worldviews, such as the "World Craft function" for collaborative creation by multiple people, and the "Store function" for buying and selling 3D assets, avatars, and items. It supports diverse use cases, not only as game and event spaces but also for building digital twins in manufacturing and construction fields. cluster continues to evolve as an OS for co-creation spaces that connect all people, things, and technologies. Name: cluster Operator: Cluster Inc. Price: Free Download URL: https://cluster.mu/downloads ■ About Cluster Inc. Cluster Inc. is a technology company that develops and operates Japan's largest metaverse platform, with the vision of "creating an OS for co-creation spaces that connect all people, things, and technologies." At its core is a proprietary large-scale simultaneous connection infrastructure, providing a co-creation space infrastructure that merges the real and virtual. It is adopted across diverse industries such as manufacturing, construction, education, international conferences, and entertainment, supporting multi-devices including smartphones, PCs, and VR. It builds real-time spaces capable of connecting up to 100,000 people simultaneously and has a track record with numerous IP contents and large-scale events. Combining high reliability and scalability, it continues to grow as a B2B platform that achieves both commercial use and scale. Furthermore, the company has established a research institute internally to promote R&D in areas such as user behavior analysis, virtual AI agents, and AI-driven 3D production automation. It actively engages in joint research and verification experiments with external research institutions and universities, accelerating the evolution of metaverse technology. Merging technology and creativity to pioneer the future of virtual experiences – Cluster continues to build next-generation social infrastructure. https://corp.cluster.mu/ ▼ Owned media where you can learn about the forefront of Cluster Inc.'s corporate business https://metaversebiznews.cluster.mu/