"Turning All of Japan into a Theme Park!" Announcing the Nationwide Expansion Plan for "Entabi (R)", an Immersive Attraction Co-created with Regions, to be Held Simultaneously in 47 Prefectures

Our company supports April Dream, a day to express dreams on April 1st. This press release is the dream of Playing Inc.

Playing Inc. (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director: Tomofumi Yamamoto) announced on April 1, 2026, as part of PR TIMES' "April Dream" project, the simultaneous nationwide launch of "Entabi (R)", an immersive attraction and experiential tourism content, in all 47 prefectures.

This concept involves re-editing the history, culture, and human activities rooted in each region into a "story," allowing tourists to participate as characters and experience the land in a new tourism model that will be rolled out nationwide.

"Entabi (R)", which has already been implemented in Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Aichi, and other areas, has shown results such as increased attachment to the region and a desire to revisit, as local residents act as performers and tourists participate in the story.

Participants have actually commented:

"It was great to not only watch the performance in front of me but also to participate myself" (Woman in her 20s)

"I never thought I would become a character in a story" (Man in his 50s)

"The performers were enthusiastic, and the participants were also positive and eager to enjoy themselves" (Man in his 40s)

"I was moved to see my child in a way I had never seen before" (Woman in her 40s)

"Even though we were strangers, we felt a sense of unity at the end" (Woman in her 30s)

These voices indicate that it creates a strong experiential value across generations.

Furthermore, facilities that have introduced it have also received evaluations such as:

"The facility itself becomes like a theater"

"An experience that moves both children and parents"

"It's not about showing something, it's about creating a positive space together"

It is attracting attention as a new form of tourism and cultural experience.

In this project, different stories will be developed for each region.

Works will be created together with local residents, students, and businesses, and "stories that can only be experienced in that land" will be implemented in each of the 47 prefectures.

Currently, planning and development of production plans for various regions are underway, and in addition to areas where it has been implemented in the past, expansion into new areas is also being considered.

■ Entabi (R) Nationwide Expansion List *★ indicates already held.

【Hokkaido/Tohoku】
Hokkaido: The Last Samurai (Goryokaku)
Aomori Prefecture: Those Who Light the Soul (Nebuta Night)
Iwate Prefecture: The Secret Treasure of Oshu Fujiwara (Chuson-ji Konjiki-do)
Miyagi Prefecture: The Dragon God's Hidden Treasure (Matsushima)
Akita Prefecture: The Judgment of the Ogre (Namahage Museum)
Yamagata Prefecture: The Secret Letter of Taisho Romance (Ginzan Onsen)
Fukushima Prefecture: The Last Messenger of the Byakkotai (Tsuruga Castle)

【Kanto】
Ibaraki Prefecture: The Secret Mission Hidden in the Plum Blossoms (Kairakuen)
Tochigi Prefecture: The Mystery of the Sleeping Shogun (Nikko Toshogu Shrine)
Gunma Prefecture: The Conspiracy of the Hot Springs (Kusatsu Onsen)
Saitama Prefecture: The Phantom Thief Who Steals Time (Kawagoe Warehouse Town)
Chiba Prefecture: The Sealed Prayer (Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple)
Tokyo: The Secret Society of Kaminarimon (Senso-ji Temple)
Kanagawa Prefecture: The Shadow of the Barrier Breaker (Hakone)

【Chubu】
Niigata Prefecture: Betrayal Over Gold (Sado Gold Mine)
Toyama Prefecture: The Blocked Top Secret Mission (Kurobe Dam)
Ishikawa Prefecture: The Million Koku Secret Agreement (Kenrokuen)
Fukui Prefecture: The Resurrected Ancient Shadow (Dinosaur Museum)
Yamanashi Prefecture: The Trial of God (Mt. Fuji)
Nagano Prefecture: The Mystery of the Vanished Gokaicho (Zenko-ji Temple)

【Tokai】
Gifu Prefecture: The Hidden Treasure of the Gassho Village (Shirakawa-go)
Shizuoka Prefecture: The Lost Robe of the Heavenly Maiden (Miho no Matsubara)
Aichi Prefecture: ★Me Who Travels Through Time (Yanagihara-dori Shopping Street)
Aichi Prefecture: The Phantom Thief Targeting the Golden Shachihoko (Nagoya Castle)
Mie Prefecture: The Last Wish Reaching the Sacred Realm (Ise Grand Shrine)

【Kansai】
Shiga Prefecture: The Ninja's Secret Letter (Hikone Castle)
Kyoto Prefecture: The Love Letter Lost on Stage (Kiyomizu-dera Temple)
Osaka Prefecture: ★The Cat Who Ate Japanese Sweets (Sakai Risho no Mori)

Osaka Prefecture: ★Kantan Theater Show: The Story of Tako Jizo (Kishiwada Castle)
Osaka Prefecture: The Millionaire's Gold Scramble! (Osaka Castle)
Hyogo Prefecture: ★Battle in Hyogo-tsu (Hyogo-tsu Museum)
Hyogo Prefecture: The Cipher Hidden in the White Heron (Himeji Castle)
Hyogo Prefecture: ★Jibungoto (Disaster Prevention Entabi)
Nara Prefecture: ★Heijo-kyo Capital Relocation Invitation Record (Heijo Palace Izanai-kan)
Nara Prefecture: The Future Reflected in the Eyes of the Great Buddha (Todai-ji Temple)
Wakayama Prefecture: Kukai's Sealed Book (Mt. Koya)

【Chugoku】
Tottori Prefecture: The Legend of the Vanished Oasis (Tottori Sand Dunes)
Shimane Prefecture: The Secret Contract of Matchmaking (Izumo Taisha Shrine)
Okayama Prefecture: Momotaro's Lost Treasure (Korakuen)
Hiroshima Prefecture: The Oracle of Itsukushima (Miyajima)
Yamaguchi Prefecture: The Truth of the Underground Labyrinth (Akiyoshidai)

【Shikoku】
Tokushima Prefecture: The Dancing Secret Mission (Awa Odori)
Kagawa Prefecture: The Trial of the Sea God (Kotohira-gu Shrine)
Ehime Prefecture: The Thousand-Year Promise (Dogo Onsen)
Kochi Prefecture: Ryoma's Last Letter (Katsurahama)

【Kyushu/Okinawa】
Fukuoka Prefecture: The Oracle of the Vanished God of Learning (Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine)
Saga Prefecture: Chase the Phantom Masterpiece (Arita Porcelain Village)
Nagasaki Prefecture: Foreign Secret Talks (Glover Garden)
Kumamoto Prefecture: The Secret Hidden in the Reconstruction (Kumamoto Castle)
Oita Prefecture: Invitation from Hell (Beppu Onsen)
Miyazaki Prefecture: The Reversal of Mythology (Takachiho Gorge)
Kagoshima Prefecture: The Decision on the Eve of Eruption (Sakurajima)
Okinawa Prefecture: The Last Secret Treasure of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Shuri Castle)

■ Why Nationwide Expansion Now?

In various parts of Japan, there are regions with tourism resources that are merely "passed through," and cultural heritage is becoming difficult to preserve due to a lack of successors.

"Entabi (R)" addresses these issues with a tourism experience that has a "structure that transforms spectators into participants."

By participating in the story and engaging with the region, tourists transform from mere visitors into "related populations."

We aim to create this cycle on a national scale.

■ Japan as a Whole Theme Park

The goal of this concept is not merely to expand events.

It is a state where towns, shopping streets, and tourist destinations throughout Japan become stages,

wherever you go, there is a story, encounters with people, and experiences are born.

In other words, it's "turning all of Japan into a theme park."

This concept is not just an initiative by companies and regions; it is a project in which every visitor can participate.

"Bringing joy to others, together with joy."

Tourists enter the region not as "observers" but as "characters in a story," meeting local people and spending time together.

Experiences at travel destinations transform from mere memories into

"stories created with someone"—

We will realize such a new form of travel nationwide.

■ Peace in the World Through Travel

Through its activities to date, Playing Inc. has realized that

"People find it easier to understand others when they share stories."

Even with different cultures and languages, people can connect by experiencing the same story.

Turning every place into an attraction.

By expanding this initiative throughout Japan and to the world,

Ultimately, we aim to achieve our mission of "bringing peace to the world through travel."

■ Founder Tomofumi Yamamoto's Career and Background

Playing Inc.

Representative Director Tomofumi Yamamoto established a theater company in 1998 and built his career in stage direction and scriptwriting.

In 2007, he obtained a travel agency license to apply the "story design skills" and "場の演出力 (場の演出力 - ability to direct a scene/atmosphere)" cultivated in theater to tourism.

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity, he explored "experiential tourism utilizing regional resources" and began demonstration experiments on closed tourist facilities as stages.

This initiative was systematized as "Entabi®," establishing a new genre of "tourism x theater" where tourists themselves become characters in the story.

■ This Will Not End as a "Dream"

This concept, while announced as a "dream" for April Dream, is also an "ongoing project" that has already begun to be realized in some regions.

Playing Inc. will work hand-in-hand with local communities to turn this vision into a reality, one step at a time.

■ Contact

Playing Inc. Public Relations Department (Contact: Rin Iwata) E-mail: info@entabi.jp

● Representative: Representative Director Tomofumi Yamamoto

● Location: 3-1-14 Koryo Higashi-machi, Sakai-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture

● TEL: 072-254-1020

● MAIL: info@entabi.jp

● Achievements: Sakai City Sakai Risho no Mori / Hyogo Prefectural Hyogo-tsu Museum / Osaka Prefectural Large Children's Museum Big Bang / National Nara Heijo Palace Izanai-kan, etc.

● Official Website URL: https://www.gekidanplaying.com/