Case Study: AZIWAU Project

About the AZIWAU Project

360° Life Innovation

AZIWAU” is a social experiment project to make each scene more vivid by adding the “experience of knowing” to our daily lives. Knowing” leads to a mindset to realize the essential value of things. By learning a little more about the things we use, see, eat, and encounter in our daily lives, we can experience a world we were not aware of or could not see. The AZIWAU project provides an opportunity to update your life by triggered by “knowing”.

Potential of the AZIWAU project to expand the scene of living

AZIWAU aims to add the experience of knowing to every aspect of our lives, from daily meals and shopping to education, art, tourism, leisure, sports and entertainment. For example, the addition of a “knowing experience” to meals makes the food taste better with a story behind it, the addition of a “knowing experience” to sporting events allows you to know the players, the rules and the excitement of the game, the addition of a “knowing experience” to tourism allows you to discover the history and culture of the area you visit on the spot, the addition of a “knowing experience” to the food and beverage industry allows you to learn more about the culture of the area you visit, and the history of the region. AZIWAU aims to expand the range of life situations.

Food and Knowledge Experience, Case Study at “Miyamiya

The restaurant version of AZIWAU began in July 2023 as a case study at Miyamiya, a restaurant that serves ramen. The restaurant is attempting to update the dining experience by using facial recognition technology to add an experience of knowing (thoughts and commitment to making ramen, etc.) to the dining experience. We will also examine how a new information platform can be created for restaurants, and introduce the prospects for regional development with food as the starting point, with a view to collaborating with the production areas of the ingredients used.

Background of Introduction

Aiming to create a system that allows customers to easily learn about the thought and care that goes into a bowl of ramen to make it more delicious.

This project was initiated with the hope that customers would enjoy their meal more by learning the story behind the completion of a bowl of ramen, including the characteristics of the ramen, the particular ingredients used, and the trial-and-error process of menu development. The current issue is that it is difficult to communicate with each customer during business hours, as they are busy with various tasks such as preparation, cooking, and serving food. Therefore, it was necessary to find a new way of communication that would allow restaurants and customers to easily connect with each other.

Decisive factor for introduction

Achieving a system that lowers the hurdles to participation and renewal

With AZIWAU, anyone can easily participate in AZIWAU from their own mobile device by reading the QR code and launching the browser version of Name Vision, without the need to download an application, and experience the food x knowledge experience. In addition, updating information in AZIWAU is easier than updating conventional LPs, so more real-time information can be delivered to customers. This easy-to-use system for both customers and restaurants was the deciding factor in the introduction of AZIWAU.

(1) Launch Name Vision

(2) Authenticate mug shot

(3) Displays information about the store and its owner

How to use

Verify updates to the dining experience by adding a knowing experience to meals triggered by facial recognition.

In this case study, by holding up a picture of the owner’s face on the browser version of Name Vision, the user can learn about the story behind the completion of a bowl of ramen, including the introduction of the restaurant, the characteristics of the ramen it offers, and the ingredients it uses. As a result, we were able to create a new communication tool that creates a point of contact between customers and information that is currently not visualized.

Application example 1) Introduction of stores

Application example 2) Introduction of Ramen Noodles

Application example 3) Material

Verify a new information platform that can also be used as an LP

Since AZIWAU allows customization of information items to be posted, we are also testing its potential as a new information platform to replace store LPs. Various information can be linked within AZIWAU, such as introductions of the store and owner, special ingredients used in cooking, information on where the ingredients come from, new menu items developed, and past media coverage. The case study also revealed the possibility of small-start store promotion by personalizing information through trial and error as to what kind of information the stores should provide to their customers.

Impressions of the use of the system

Need for a communication strategy that allows us to concretely imagine changes in the experience

Some customers were reluctant to try AZIWAU because of the unfamiliar term “face recognition. Therefore, the need for communication that allows customers to imagine what kind of changes the updated dining experience using face recognition would bring and to try it without resistance emerged as an issue.

Effects of Introduction

Expect to gain new fans by delivering the information you need at the moment you need it

The miso used in the miso ramen is locally produced and consumed by farmers in Tama City, the leeks are made from Sanriku leeks from Fukushima, contributing to regional development through the discovery and provision of carefully selected local ingredients, and a second restaurant specializing in chicken soba has opened in Hachioji. We have been able to create an environment that allows us to simultaneously access a variety of information about Miyamaya that was previously disparate or not visualized. The restaurant version of AZIWAU, which can deliver the necessary information at the moment it is needed, has created an opportunity for people to experience food x knowing about Miyamiya, and from there, we could see the possibility of acquiring new fans.

Future goals and prospects

Facial recognition supports local revitalization for a new stage of regional development

The restaurant version of AZIWAU, with a focus on food, is designed to contribute to regional development by creating points of contact between stores, customers, and production areas, using AZIWAU as a hub. For example, by communicating about the special ingredients used at the restaurant, customers can learn about ingredients they cannot find at their usual supermarket while dining. By using AZIWAU as a hub, we aim to increase the speed and expandability of the series of processes of learning about, empathizing with, and purchasing food products by linking it to EC and providing a mechanism for purchase.