Immersive Lab Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Co-CEOs: Dan Koike, Tetsusei Hosokawa, Yuto Mizutani), a company creating next-generation entertainment experiences, and Tabayama Village in Yamanashi Prefecture (Village Mayor: Yoshito Kinoshita) have launched an immersive restaurant experience called Okami no Utage (Wolf's Feast) starting February 14, 2026.
This project is the second installment following "Ookami no Mura - When the Howling Fades, Memories Remain," held in 2025, which received over 100 applications within just 15 minutes of opening reservations. The new experience offers an immersive dining adventure that combines food and storytelling. Participants join the feast as characters in the narrative, savoring premium dishes made with local Tabayama ingredients such as venison and seasonal vegetables while unraveling the mysteries of a traditional village ceremony.
A pre-opening event held on January 26 invited media representatives and influencers to experience the program. Participants shared enthusiastic feedback: "The fusion of cuisine and narrative was spectacular," "The final scene moved me to tears," and "I discovered new charms of Tabayama Village."
Background
While Tabayama Village attracts many tourists from spring to fall, it faces a significant challenge during the winter off-season when visitor numbers drop sharply, leading to decreased occupancy rates at local accommodations and restaurants. Additionally, many tourists visit only for day trips, limiting their contribution to the local economy.
To address these challenges, Tabayama Village and Immersive Lab Inc. aim to create new tourism demand during the off-season and promote overnight stays through this immersive restaurant experience that integrates food and storytelling. By collaborating with local producers and restaurants to showcase the village's ingredients at their finest, the project directly contributes to the local economy.
What is Immersive Tourism?
Immersive tourism incorporates cutting-edge immersive entertainment that has taken the world by storm, including "Murder Mystery," a market exceeding 400 billion yen in China, and "Immersive Theater," which has become hugely popular in New York and beyond. Tourists participate as characters or players in the story, engaging in mystery-solving and completing missions while immersing themselves in the narrative world. Rather than being mere spectators, participants become active agents who drive the story forward, gaining deep immersion and memorable experiences unavailable through conventional tourism.
What is an Immersive Restaurant?
An immersive restaurant is a new form of entertainment where dining and storytelling merge. Participants don't simply enjoy food - they join the dining experience as characters in the narrative, becoming immersed in the story world through the dishes and performances. Each course connects with the story's progression, and through communication and deduction with other participants, guests solve mysteries while experiencing the narrative. The appeal lies in using all five senses to experience the story, transforming the everyday act of dining into an extraordinary immersive experience that creates deeply memorable moments. This next-generation entertainment format has gained popularity in major cities worldwide, including New York and London.
Okami no Utage Story and Event Details
Okami no Utage is a two-part immersive restaurant experience where participants experience the same story from different perspectives during the daytime and evening sessions. Guests join the feast as invited visitors, savoring dishes made with Tabayama Village ingredients while uncovering the mysteries of a traditional village ceremony. By experiencing the story from different perspectives during day and night, participants gain deeper immersion and discover the complete narrative. This project is a completely original work designed specifically for the restaurant experience, while inheriting the worldview of "Ookami no Mura" released in 2025.
Event Period: Regular events starting Saturday, February 14, 2026
Location: Tabayama Village, Yamanashi Prefecture (56 minutes by bus from Okutama Station)
Meeting Point: Workcation Tabayama / Tabayama Village Exchange Promotion Center (1256 Tabayama, Tabayama Village)
Duration:
Daytime Session: Gather at 12:30 PM / Dismissal at 4:00 PM
Evening Session: Check-in from 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM / Check-out at 10:00 AM
Accommodation Information: Daytime Session: No accommodation / Evening Session: Workcation Tabayama, 2 persons per room
Capacity: 10 to 16 people (Evening session limited to 14 people)
Daytime Session: Okami no Utage - Messenger of Words
An invitation arrives for a traditional ceremony in this mountain village.
"We have prepared a modest feast. May the wolf god's blessing be upon you who have been summoned."
This land, once closed off from the outside world, welcomes guests for the first time in 50 years. People gather on the "Day of Word Sending," when messages are sent to ancestors and loved ones. As the feast begins with prepared food and music, various intentions intertwine.
"If it truly can be delivered..."
This is the final tale marking the beginning of the village's new history.
Evening Session: Okami no Utage - Guardian of Words
An invitation arrives for a traditional ceremony in this mountain village.
"Welcome back, your soul. May the wolf god's blessing be upon this feast."
Few still know the secrets of this land, once closed off from the outside world. People gather on the "Day of Word Return," when words sent from the afterlife are said to return to this world. Through the food served and music played, memories awaken as if being called forth.
"Someday, I will surely come to save you."
This is the beginning tale where someone's prayer surfaced and faded.
Official Website: https://immersivelab.jp/tabayama-immersive-village
Official Hashtag: #狼ノ宴
Official X: @ImmersiveLabinc
Cuisine Provider: TABA CAFE Chef Yoshihito Hoshino
Born May 7, 1981. After enrolling at Tokyo Metropolitan University's Faculty of Engineering, he dropped out during his fourth year in summer to pursue a culinary career. Without attending culinary school, he apprenticed under Chef Takashi Ugagami at Ristorante Primi Baci in Kichijoji. After serving as head chef at cafes, Mediterranean restaurants, Italian and French establishments, he now serves as chef at TABA CAFE in Tabayama Village. He creates dishes that transform seasonal ingredients through his unique sensibility. For this immersive restaurant project, he challenges himself to create a new gastronomic experience that fuses performance with cuisine.
Daytime Session Menu
Appetizer Four-variety appetizer platter
Carrot rapé / Parmesan cheese pudding / Tabayama ayu confit with eggplant caviar croquant / Village seasonal vegetables with barley and prosciutto salad
Soup Seasonal vegetable potage / With venison salsiccia and orecchiette *Venison can be substituted with pork
Main Course Roasted venison with sautéed seasonal vegetables / Homemade hishio sauce *Venison can be substituted with beef skirt steak or premium pork
Dessert Panna cotta made with raw cane sugar / Citrus jelly
Drinks Available for separate charge from the menu
Evening Session Menu
Appetizer Four-variety appetizer platter
Carrot rapé / Parmesan cheese pudding / Village-processed horse meat tartare croquant / Village vegetables and instant-smoked salmon carpaccio / Petit bread
Pasta Tabayama ayu puttanesca
Main Course Roasted venison with sautéed seasonal vegetables / Homemade hishio sauce *Venison can be substituted with beef skirt steak or premium pork
Dessert Rich chocolate cheesecake / Red wine berry sauce
Drinks Available for separate charge
*Appetizer includes sparkling wine / Soup and pasta include white wine / Main course includes red wine / Coffee or tea service included
*Menu and ingredients can be modified for allergies
Pre-Opening Response on January 26, 2026
During the media and influencer pre-opening events held on January 26 and 27, approximately 60 participants experienced both daytime and evening sessions. Participants shared feedback including:
"Each dish connected with the story, making eating part of the mystery-solving experience - it was refreshing"
"The quality of Tabayama Village's ingredients was surprising, especially the venison dishes"
"The story's conclusion moved me to tears - it was a moving experience"
"I never expected to learn about the village's history and culture in this way"
Project Production and Venue Providers
Workcation Tabayama / Tabayama Village Exchange Promotion Center (Event Venue)
A facility offering co-working spaces and private accommodation rooms where visitors can focus on remote work and creative projects while experiencing the rich nature of Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. The facility accommodates workcations, remote work, various training sessions, and tourism.
Official Website: https://tabayama.info/stay/lodging/taba_work_center/
TABA CAFE (Event Venue)
In the small mountain village of Tabayama at the source of the Tama River, a roadside old folk house with an impressive wicket gate has been reborn as a new community hub for Tabayama Village.
Official Website: https://tabayama.info/stay/eat/tabacafetabastudio/
Tabayama Village (Co-Host)
A small village with approximately 500 residents located in northeastern Yamanashi Prefecture, bordering Tokyo and Saitama. The entire village lies within Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, surrounded by mountains exceeding 2,000 meters including Mount Kumotori. The village continues to preserve rich nature as a water source conservation area for Tokyo.
Official Website: https://www.vill.tabayama.yamanashi.jp/
Tabayama Tourism Promotion Organization (Co-Host)
As a destination management organization, the organization works on sustainable tourism community development centered on tourism promotion in Tabayama Village, including employment creation and off-season countermeasures, contributing to local economic development and cultural advancement.
Official Website: https://tabayama.info/
Immersive Lab Inc. (Co-Host, Project Production and Operations)
With the mission to "create next-generation entertainment experiences," the company creates new-era entertainment where extraordinary worlds blend into daily life, allowing everyone to access entertainment anytime.
Official Website: https://immersivelab.jp/
Official X: https://x.com/immersivelabinc
