An immersive experience event, A Somewhat Strange Work Experience: Night School Investigator, is set to take place in August 2026 at the real campus of Chiyoda Junior and Senior High School in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Organized by HoriPro Stage and Yugure Co., Ltd., the event invites participants to explore a darkened school building flashlight in hand during summer vacation, encountering live performances and stories along the way. Current students of the school will also participate as extras, adding an extra layer of authenticity.
The Latest in the "A Somewhat Strange Work Experience" Series
The A Somewhat Strange Work Experience series is produced by Yugure Co., Ltd. Previous installments have included a role as a cleaning crew member spanning the entirety of Toranomon Hills Station Tower and a private house cleaning experience held in a house in Nezu whose address remains undisclosed. The series has drawn over 7,000 participants and earned high praise for its emotionally engaging experience design.
The concept behind the series: the world is full of different jobs, but everyone only has one body. A Somewhat Strange Work Experience lets adults step into those roles — but true to its name, these are anything but ordinary. Each installment is crafted to be a thrilling, "somewhat strange" kind of career experience.
Exploring a Real School After Dark, Flashlight in Hand
The event venue is Chiyoda Junior and Senior High School, a real school located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Taking full advantage of the building during summer vacation, participants walk through the unlit hallways with flashlights, witnessing the stories of characters who appear along the way.
Current Students Help Build an Authentic World
When the first installment was held in March 2025, approximately 90 current students participated as extras. The event sparked reactions like "It felt too real" and "From the moment we stepped inside, everything was the real thing." The new installment continues this collaboration with the school to deliver an even deeper sense of immersion.
A Real School Canteen in Operation
Inside the school, the canteen will be open for business, selling items such as bread and carton-boxed drinks — giving visitors a chance to feel as if they've slipped back in time to their own school days.
Cutting-Edge Spatial Audio Delivers an Attraction-Like Experience
One of the standout features of the event is the combination of live performance, immersive staging, and spatial audio technology used in select scenes. The cutting-edge spatial audio system Re:Sense® recreates sounds like a door suddenly swinging open or the presence of someone creeping up behind you. The moment participants settle into a classroom seat and put on their earphones, the reality of being in a school and the fiction playing through the audio link seamlessly.
The effect is so convincing that it becomes difficult to tell whether a sound is coming from the earphones or from the real world — creating an unprecedented sense of presence where reality and fiction blur together.
A demo audio track titled "A Somewhat Strange One Minute — Inside the Bathroom ver." is available to preview the experience:
Note: The demo can be enjoyed with personal earphones or headphones. Listening from inside a bathroom at home is recommended for the full effect.
Event Details
A Somewhat Strange Work Experience: Night School Investigator
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Venue | Chiyoda Junior and Senior High School |
| Venue Website | https://chiyoda.ed.jp |
| Access | 5-min walk from Hanzomon Station (Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line) / 5-min walk from Kojimachi Station (Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line) / 7–8-min walk from Ichigaya Station (JR / Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line / Namboku Line / Toei Shinjuku Line) / 10-min walk from Yotsuya Station (JR / Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line) |
| Dates | August 21 (Fri), 22 (Sat), 23 (Sun), 28 (Fri), 29 (Sat), 30 (Sun), 2026 — 6 days total |
| Hours | Evenings (exact times to be announced; reservation required with a specific date and time) |
| Tickets | On sale from around June 2026 |
| Cast | To be announced |
| Organizers | HoriPro / Yugure |
| Cooperation | Chiyoda Junior and Senior High School |
| Official Site | https://twilight.co.jp/school-researcher |
| Official X | https://x.com/hp_immersive |
| Official Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/hp_immersive/ |
