NFTs with Real World Assets in Japan’s art & culture scene

Integrating NFTs with Real-World Assets

With the release of the ERC-721 standard on Ethereum in 2017,  NFT art projects like CryptoKitties and CryptoPunks quickly captured global attention, and celebrities, artists, and companies worldwide started generating their own NFTs at an enormous rate. This led to the NFT boom of the early 2020s, of which you are undoubtedly familiar.

However, most NFT projects lacked any real utility or long-term value, existing solely as a fad investment vehicle. As a result, the NFT bubble burst, and people started to think how the technology could be used in more practical ways.

NFTs began evolving from mere investment assets into functional tools. The applications have expanded into a variety of real-world use cases, including event ticketing, digital identification, certification, in-game assets, fashion, and music. In Japan, NFTs are being used in the public sector for regional revitalization, tourism, cultural preservation, and education.

This article explores one of these emerging practical fields: NFT art projects with Real World Assets (RWA).

RWA refers to the tokenization of tangible and intangible assets—such as real estate, bonds, equities, commodities, and intellectual property—on the blockchain. By digitizing ownership and enabling on-chain transactions, this approach allows traditionally illiquid or complex assets to be exchanged more transparently and efficiently than ever before.

NEO TOKYO PUNKS

NEO TOKYO PUNKS, a cyberpunk-themed NFT collection, is one of Japan’s leading NFT projects. Launched in March 2022, all 2,222 NFTs sold out immediately.

In March 2025, the project's third collection, “UTOPIA," was released on Sonova, an NFT marketplace built on Soneium—a blockchain platform developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture between Sony Group and Startale Labs.

This new collection introduces a groundbreaking usecase: fractional ownership of anime adaptation rights through NFT technology. Holders of these NFTs are granted the right to participate in the anime production process and share in its revenue, creating a new model of co-creation and co-ownership.

The anime’s intellectual property rights are treated as RWA. The anime itself will be produced in the vertical short-form format.

BONSAI NFT GALLERY on SNFT

In March 2025, Sony Group launched their new art initiative "SNFT Digital Physical Art," which boosts the value and accessibility of physical artworks through digital technology.

The project accommodates artworks that require high-level preservation and care. Each NFT not only represents ownership of the physical artwork but also includes a custodial management right, allowing the piece to be professionally maintained while the owner retains possession via the NFT. This system is expected to facilitate smoother and more secure NFT transactions.

The first release in the series, BONSAI NFT GALLERY on SNFT, was launched in collaboration with renowned bonsai artist Narushi Hirao and the NFT project BONSAI NFT CLUB. The collection features physical bonsai works titled "Kyoku" (Curves) and "Sen" (Lines), which are professionally maintained at Seishoen, a specialized bonsai garden.

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FYI

• NEO TOKYO PUNKS
• SNFT

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