Mar 24, 2020

Solutions for a Better Future / Feature Story

Products & Solutions

Capturing the Country's "Beauty" in 4K. Six Years in the Making - "Beautiful JAPAN towards 2020"

Panasonic has spent the last 6 years capturing Japan's beauty in anticipation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The project, "Beautiful JAPAN towards 2020" explores all 47 prefectures in Japan, and captures their breathtaking beauty together with images of young inspirational athletes in vivid, exacting 4K image quality.

As the Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, Panasonic is supporting the staging of the Games with cutting-edge AV equipment solutions.

It was back in September 2013 that Tokyo was chosen as the host city of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. Shortly after, from March 2014, we began filming in Fukushima prefecture. Then in June the same year, we captured Mt. Fuji's magnificent sight in Shizuoka. Thereafter, Panasonic continued to capture the beauty of Japan as it transformed through the seasons in 4K with the VariCam 4K cinema camera series and VariCam HS, and more.

In comparison to Full HD, 4K boasts 4 times the resolution, so it can meticulously express even the finest detail. And Panasonic's 4K compatible TVs flawlessly reproduce the rich and elaborate hues and light-dark tones with superior depth transporting the audience to the world depicted in the images.

We want to deliver the passion and excitement of the Games, and the amazing drama that will unfold here in the host country with the best in class products, technologies, and solutions. And we also wanted to bequeath to future generations, the unique landscape in all 47 prefectures as part of the legacy. With this desire, the project team shot outdoors in subzero temperatures and at times under the sea, employing ingenuity to adjust to a wide range of shooting conditions.

According to the developer of the TV, "I hope to continue to do my best so that we can even communicate the athletes' passion, breathing, dynamic movement of their muscles, and thereby deliver the 'human drama' beyond just winning and losing."

"Through the shoots and from young athletes, I learned the importance of perseverance. My dream is to develop a camera that will answer our customers' dreams, that will 'capture the image they want unawares'. I will keep trying until I can make this come true" stated the developer of the video camera.

On December 2019, this project, which has rekindled the developers' passion, wrapped up its long journey in Hokkaido.

We will continue to do our best to deliver the passion and excitement of the world's greatest sporting festival to people all around the world.

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