Though Tokyo has been the capital for less than 150 years, it has come to represent the concept of a city. Kyoto boasts eight times as much history as Tokyo, and has been able to keep its splendour until modern times. The reasons for this phenomenom are quite complex, and difficult to explain. We can find out how Kyoto was able to both conserve its cultural wealth and also mature into a modern city by accessing its heart and soul in present and future.

With 1200 years of history, Kyoto is well known for its world treasures. However, Kyoto is much more than that. There are more than one million people living normal lives amidst the rich and unique background. Discovering the lifestyles of Kyoto's citizens offers a viewpoint that transcends both time and culture. We thought of expressing life in Kyoto through the rooms of the students of the Kyoto University of Art and Design.

Through the new imaging technology of QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality), you can come visit the students' rooms yourself. The students' respective personalities and lifestyles are brought out as well.

Virtual Kyoto Style refers to the lifestyles of some young students in their twenties at a fresh meeting point of culture and history. The Kyoto that they see and feel, as well as what its history and culture means to them, differs from the stereotypyes of tourist brochures. It includes not only the legends and stories which make Kyoto's history alive, but also the joy of living at the intersection of time from past to future with space.

We at the Research Center for Media Aesthetics at the Kyoto University of Art and Design have included Virtual Kyoto Style as part of our Digital Japanesque project, which strives to combine Kyoto's traditional culture with the newest developments in digital multimedia. Through the rooms of the students we have introduced the little adventure of living in Kyoto on the Interzone of the World Wide Web.