In Japan, there’s a popular phenomenon called purikura, or personalized photos upon which you can add custom decorations and designs. Capitalizing on that spirit is Japanese developer Rocket Ryoko, who has released a fun augmented reality photo application that you can use during cherry blossom viewing if you’re in Japan. Or even if you’re not.
Its application, Sakura Now, superimposes an AR layer of cherry blossoms over top of whatever your iPhone or iPad camera is pointed at. Now ideally if you’re using this, you’ll want the iPhone 4S or the new third-gen iPad. And it might be nice to take a picture near some trees to create the illusion of being among blooming cherry blossoms in spring in Japan.
For the sake of science, I posed for this picture with my plant (his name is Fernando). The default settings are for a light breeze, but by adjusting the wind in the app’s settings, you can control how many blossoms fall from the top of your screen. I turned the wind all the way up to 11. I think I nailed it!
 sakura: default level |
 MAXIMUM SAKURA!!!! |
From what I can see on the Rocket Ryoko website, they hope to make money from this free application by offering add-ons, which are still in the works. Their website mentions a dandelion add-on, which would be a nice addition, although I don’t see many people paying for such a thing.
In any case, it’s a fun idea. You can learn more about it in the promo video below. And if you and your friends are attending any cherry blossom viewing parties in the next few weeks, this will certainly help spice up your photos. Although to be honest, the scenery in Japan is so incredible right now that it really doesn’t need much help [1]. There are more than a few scenic spots to check out this season, and you can browse them over on Google’s new Cherry Blosson Guide or by using this map of hanami spots prepared by The Japan Times [2]
[Via Appbank]
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