Bridging Generations: Augmented Reality for Japanese Wartime Oral History

TL;DR

This paper addresses the challenge of preserving World War II oral histories in Japan amid demographic shifts that threaten firsthand accounts. It proposes an augmented reality process artifact that weaves multimedia interviews with geo-located contexts using Visual Positioning System to bridge past events and present sites. The main contributions include a concrete AR storytelling prototype, a discussion of AR affordances, potential harms, and ethical considerations, and a framework for integrating memory-driven MR into education. The work holds significance for cultural heritage preservation and education, offering a scalable approach that could complement other memory-driven experiences like Fukushima Now and engage younger generations while engaging with debates over national memory and Article 9 reinterpretation.

Abstract

In this position paper, the author presents a process artifact that aims to serve as an archival and educational tool that revitalizes World War II oral histories in Japan. First, the author introduces the historical background and how the work is informed by the positionality of the author. Then, the author presents features of the artifact using references to interview footage of the author's grandmother and grandaunt sharing their firsthand accounts of the 1945 Tokyo Air Raids. The affordances and barriers of this application of augmented reality is discussed and a included is a list of questions to be posed at the workshop.