[Come and Cover the Event!] Auditions for local performers will be held for “Heijosento Yushoiki,” an immersive theater performance at Nara Heijo Palace, Japan’s first World Heritage Site.
Playing Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 30, 2025 Dear Members of the Press [Japan’s First] Immersive Theater at Heijo Palace in Nara: Auditions for Local Performers Held for “Heijo Sento Yushoiki,” a Tourist Facility Traveling Back in Time to the Nara Period Entabi®, an immersive theater guide service that invites tourists to participate and promotes the local area, is weaving a “Nara story” in which local residents play the leading role. An immersive theater project has begun, “co-created” with current students from Nara Women’s University and local residents. Tourists speak! A new and unprecedented “experience” that combines theater and historical experiences. The Project Executive Committee for Preserving and Passing on the Cultural Assets of Ancient Nara (Heijo Palace Site Management Center, Heijo Palace National Historic Park) will be holding auditions for local performers for the tourist-participatory drama attraction “Entabii® Heijo Capital Invitation Chronicle,” to be held on December 20, 2025, at the Heijo Palace Izanaikan Hall in Heijo Palace Site Historic Park in Nara. “Entabii® Heijo-to Sento Yushoiki,” scheduled for
performances in October 2025 (already held), again on November 9, and on February 28 and March 21, 2026, is a “community co-creation” immersive theater created with local performers under the theme of “local people performing local history and communicating it to tourists.” This project proposes a new way to promote the charm of the region through experiences in which Nara residents act out their own local stories and welcome tourists as “characters.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-b041ce34077b02ee2bdcafa38c10e41c-3900×2600.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-42c4c9cae207bf238d76498c83d22813-2605×1737.jpg Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park Heijo Palace Izanai Hall, in front of the Suzaku Gate, photographed in March 2025
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-36bca65924ed7c99c61a3b4421b94231-3803×2535.jpg “Entabi(R) “Heijo-kyo Soushoiki” image photo featuring local actors, taken in front of Suzaku Gate, March 2025 “Entabi®” is an immersive tourism experience that combines tourism, entertainment, and regional revitalization. “Entabi(R)” is an immersive tourism content that was piloted in 2020 by Tomofumi Yamamoto, CEO of Playing Co., Ltd. (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture), with the desire to put a stop to the “depopulation of regional tourist destinations” that he felt during his 18 years of experience as a tour guide.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-ce25210df9b747f94efae859a382af29-1920×1280.png Entabii® “The Cat That Ate Japanese Sweets” 2021, held at Akiko Yosano’s Memorial Museum, Sakai Risho-no-Mori, where the demonstration experiment was conducted. Set at tourist facilities and local resources scattered throughout the country. “Entabi®” is an
experiential drama attraction in which local people act out dramas based on local legends and folklore, drawing tourists into the story as “characters.” Through immersive experiences at over 110,000 tourist facilities across the country, the project aims to increase the value of tourists’ stays and revitalize local economies. It has attracted media attention as a way to expand the potential of regional tourism.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-b70bccd8f91f098b72862d0f7163a6ba-1920×1280.png Actors address tourists gathered in the lobby of a tourist facility during the 2023 Entabii® “Battle in Hyogonotsu” performance at the Hyogo Prefectural Hyogotsu Museum. Why is it important to use local performers? At “Entabi(R),” we aim to have local people play the main roles in the story. This is not just a creative device, but a “structure that will change the future of the region.” According to data released by the Japan Tourism Agency, the repeat visit rate for tourists who experience interaction with local residents is
approximately 1.7 times higher (Japan Tourism Agency, “Tourism Area Development Data Collection 2023”), making this a major factor in increasing the value of tourists’ stays. Furthermore, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ “Related Population Creation and Expansion Model Project” (FY2022), 62% of people who participated in local cultural activities responded that they “want to continue being involved,” demonstrating that local participation leads to sustainable regional revitalization. Furthermore, a survey by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute found that news stories featuring local residents averaged 1.3 times higher viewership (“Survey on Regional News Reporting and Viewing Trends 2022”), demonstrating high levels of news and media attention. In this way, local resident participation combines the three elements of “enhancing tourism value,” “regional self-sustainability,” and “media appeal,” making it one of the most effective approaches to regional
revitalization.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-db0e81ca3bad6851cea55af2ce296f57-1567×1045.jpg 『Entabi(R) Performance scene of “Heijo Capital Transfer Yoyoki” Photographed in October 2025
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-1a8d9d9cfc9af5c138c124cc66dfd24d-1567×1045.jpg A scene from “Entabi (R)” where the performers are having the participating tourists recite lines. Performance scene of “Heijo Capital Transfer Yoyoki” Photographed in October 2025
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-0c98c66796ba26c7fea5dac0fc83605e-3900×2600.jpg “Entabi®” allows you to watch immersive performances up close using the facilities within the theater. Performance scene of “Heijo Capital Transfer Yoyoki” Photographed in October 2025
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-07f8989adfdecbff770ed90846e102b0-3900×2600.jpg “Entabi®” is a platform where the story unfolds based on the actions of the participants. Scenes from the performance of “Heijo-to Sento Yushoiki” (Heijyo-to Transfer of Capital) – Photographed in October 2025 “Shifting tourism from something to be seen to something to be co-created.” Based on this data, Entabi® proposes a new form of tourism in which “local people perform, talk about their local area, and showcase their local charm.” Tourists go from being “spectators” to becoming “characters,” and local people go from being “guides” to becoming “protagonists in the story.” This co-creation will be the driving force behind revitalizing areas facing depopulation. “Entabii (R) Heijo-to Sento Yoi-ki” Performance Overview
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-d288317c37ff9c2662b4893763930569-1414×2000.jpg Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park Heijo Palace Izanaikan flyer for events held after November 9, 2025 (front page)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-7ba4714cd65507fad0a3c4dae18fd95d-1414×2000.jpg Back of the flyer for the Heijo Palace Izanaikan at Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park for events held after November 9, 2025 Title: Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park, Heijo Palace Izanaikan, Entabii (R) “Heijo Capital Relocation Invitation Chronicle” Venue: Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park Heijokyo Izanaikan (Nara City, Nara Prefecture) Date and time: Saturday, October 4, 2025 11:00-/13:00-/15:00- November 9, 2025 (Sunday) 11:00-/13:00-/15:00- February 28, 2026 (Saturday) 11:00-/13:00-/15:00- Saturday, March 21, 2026 11:00-/13:00-/15:00- *Scheduled performance time: 60 minutes. Participation Fee: Free Pre-registration: Telephone or website event application form https://www.heijo-park.jp/event/entabi_at_heijo1109/ Heijo Palace Ruins Management Center 0742-36-8780 Organizer: “Historic Nara Cultural Assets Preservation and Preservation Project Executive Committee” Planning and Management: Heijo Palace Site Management Center Reiwa 7 Agency for Cultural Affairs Cultural Arts Promotion Subsidy (Regional Cultural Asset Comprehensive Utilization Promotion Project) Planning and Production: Nomura Medias Co., Ltd., Playing Co., Ltd. ↑↑↑We welcome coverage of the above events, so please come and experience them for yourself! ↑↑↑ Entab(R) “Heijo-to Relocation Invitation Chronicle” Audition Overview Recruitment Name: Entab(R) Heijo-to Relocation Invitation Chronicle Performer Auditions Venue: Heijo Palace Ruins Historical Park, Heijo Palace Izanaikan (Nara City, Nara Prefecture) Date and Time: Saturday, December 20, 2025 *The time will be announced only to applicants and members of the press who have made inquiries. Target: ・High school students and above, all ages ・Gender doesn’t matter ・No theater experience required Evaluation Method: Scheduled for a reading session with actors and a
self-promotion session. How to Apply: By phone or via the audition application form on the website. URL:
https://www.heijo-park.jp/event/entabi_at_heijo-audition/ Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-2707fb6e30c77d3f4bb5fb42b8e45ac3-940×788.jpg Audition recruitment banner Founder Tomofumi Yamamoto’s background and the background to the birth of Entabi® Tomofumi Yamamoto, CEO of Playing Co., Ltd., founded a theater company in 1999 and has built his career in stage direction and scriptwriting. Specializing in locally rooted storytelling and directing that emphasizes dialogue with the audience, he has been involved in creating experiential value through theater for over 20 years. In 2007, he joined Pine Tourist to apply the storytelling and space-directing skills he developed in theater to tourism. Since then, he has been involved in planning and implementing guided sightseeing tours and community-based travel products, gaining experience in the tourism industry throughout Japan. In 2020, the tourism and theater industries faced simultaneous downturns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As tours and theater performances were canceled, we sought a new form of tourism that would utilize local resources. We began a pilot project to create tourism content set in closed tourist facilities. This initiative was later systematized as “Entabi®,” establishing a new genre of “tourism x theater” in which local stories are dramatized and tourists themselves become characters. This experiential attraction, born out of the challenges facing both the industry and the region, continues to evolve as a new means of regional revitalization.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152734/12/152734-12-e9e6514f195cf3e96938a39667dd8cd8-1616×1080.jpg President and CEO Tomofumi Yamamoto (Playing Co., Ltd.) dressed as a wizard, interacts with children at the Grand Green Osaka Grand Opening Event. Contact Information Playing Co., Ltd. Public Relations Department (Contact: Rin Iwata) E-mail: info@entabi.jp ●
Representative: Representative Director Satoshi Yamamoto ●
Established: April 25, 2024 ● Location: 3-1-14 Kouryo Higashimachi, Sakai Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture ● TEL：0722541020 ● Business: Travel industry/event industry ● Achievements: Sakai City Sakai Risho no Mori / Hyogo Prefectural Hyogotsu Museum / Osaka Prefectural Large Children’s Center Big Bang / Nara Heijo Palace Izanaikan National Museum, and others. ● Official website URL:
https://www.gekidanplaying.com/ ●Official SNS: 〈X〉
https://x.com/gekidanplaying 〈Facebook〉
https://www.facebook.com/gekidanplaying/ 〈Entabi(R) Hyogo Prefectural Hyogotsu Museum PV〉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMRxkNw0c8I Reference/Source Japan Tourism Agency, “Tourism Area Development Data Collection (2023)” https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/page08_000112.html Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “Report on the Results of the Model Project for Creating and Expanding Related Populations (FY2022)”
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000846613.pdf NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, “Survey on Regional News Reporting and Viewing Trends (2022)”
https://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/research/horon/pdf/20220301_8.pdf For more information about this release Press release attachments