To commemorate the first anniversary of the "Ikebukuro Mystery Town" project, which develops various mystery attractions in Ikebukuro, an event was held at WACCA Ikebukuro where people could experience collaborative content with popular works such as "The Kindaichi Case Files" and "Rent-A-Girlfriend" for free.
Ikebukuro Mystery Town was launched in July 2023 to mark the 100th anniversary of the debut of mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo, whose former home still stands in Ikebukuro. It is a city development project that aims to turn Ikebukuro into a "mystery mecca" by releasing a variety of mystery attractions in various locations in Ikebukuro, in cooperation with various organizations and private companies, including Toshima Ward, Sunshine City, and Taisho University, as well as creators of proven mystery-solving content.
Ikebukuro Mystery Town
▼Ikebukuro Mystery Town
https://mysterytown.jp/
The attractions range from casual puzzle solving at a cafe, to spot exploration mysteries for children in shopping arcades, hotel stay mysteries, and mystery screenings using footage from staged mystery productions. The content is updated regularly, and it is easy for everyone from children to adults to beginners to participate, so it is gradually becoming more well-known among people other than mystery fans.
Meanwhile, to celebrate the first anniversary of Ikebukuro Mystery Town in August 2024, an event was held in the event space on the 4th floor of WACCA Ikebukuro, where visitors could experience collaborative content with popular characters from "The Kindaichi Case Files," "Rent-A-Girlfriend," "Hundred Note," and "Egumi Legacy" for free.
The Kokosil editorial department took part in a free trial session of the tutorial scenario for the "Murder Mystery: The Kindaichi Case Files – Jewel Theft Murder Case" (planned and produced by Murder Mystery HOUSE), which is based on the popular mystery manga "The Kindaichi Case Files ."
Tutorial scenario free trial session
Scenes from the trial session
A murder mystery is an interactive detective game in which participants become characters in a story and have fun trying to deduce the identity of the murderer and achieve the goals that have been set for each participant.
The "Murder Mystery 'The Kindaichi Case Files'" series, produced by the murder mystery specialty store "Murder Mystery HOUSE," comes in three versions: the "store performance version" that can be played at designated stores nationwide, the "package version" that can be purchased and played at home, and the "online version" that can be played on smartphones. The "Jewel Theft Murder Case" that was featured in this free trial was the two-player package version, but in the event space, the crime scene that appears in the scenario was reproduced. It was produced in a way that made it possible to immerse yourself in the game with a sense of realism.
Participants gather at the recreated crime scene
Character sheets and gameplay guide materials provided
Participants, gathered in pairs, took on the role of the protagonist, high school student "Kindaichi Hajime," and his childhood friend "Nanase Miyuki," and worked together to identify the culprit of a murder case. The character sheets provided included the circumstances of the case that the character knew about, as well as the profiles of the suspects. They read the documents and discussed within the time limit to make their deductions.
Both the author and my companion were new to murder mysteries, so we felt a little embarrassed to have to pretend to be the characters and have conversations, but we quickly got used to it and were immersed in the story. Our discussion was a bit awkward, but we were all excited when we found out the meaning of the dying message left at the recreated crime scene!
I was excited as I checked the ending scenario, and when I realized I'd correctly guessed the culprit, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
The bear from Madame House
The host on the day was Kuma-san from Murder Mystery House, the creators of this murder mystery. With his attentive support, even beginners were able to follow the game without getting confused.
Among the participants were some who, like me, were new to murder mysteries.
"I've always been interested in murder mysteries. I felt that the conversational aspect was a hurdle, so I never really had the courage to try it out. However, the tutorial scenario seemed easy, and since it was a free event, I decided to take the plunge and participate. I got a feel for the atmosphere, so next time I'd like to try a more serious scenario," she said with a smile.
Similarly, I'm sure there are many people who are interested in mystery attractions but feel that they are too difficult to get into. I hope that in the future, they will continue to organize experience sessions like this one that are easy for beginners to get into.
Cafe DEAD DROP
Additionally, Ikebukuro Mystery Town's official cafe , Cafe DEAD DROP, is open on the 4th floor of WACCA Ikebukuro.
The cafe is a hub for mystery information in Ikebukuro, and is equipped with an environment where you can play a variety of attractions. The seats filled up immediately after the cafe opened. The popularity of the cafe was surprising, with some participants in the free trial session even playing other games at the cafe after the event. I realized that Ikebukuro is steadily becoming an attractive town not only for mystery fans, but also for people looking for new intellectual experiences.
Finally, we spoke to a public relations representative from Ikebukuro Mystery Town about his thoughts on the project's first anniversary and his outlook for the future.
"Through my experience working on the project for a year, I strongly felt that the people of Toshima ward value mystery as a culture. The people who are cooperating with us, including WACCA Ikebukuro, Sunshine City, and Heiwa-dori Shopping Street, are all actively trying to make the project a success. I think one of the great attractions of Ikebukuro Mystery Town is that we can hold new attractions that involve the local community, something that a single organization cannot do on its own.
As for the future outlook, as the demand for immersive experience content, including immersive theaters, is increasing year by year, we would like to continue in that direction at Ikebukuro Mystery Town and further strengthen the unique attractions that are only possible by involving the local community."
Toshima Mystery Festival
In addition, from Friday, November 1st to Monday, November 4th, 2024 , the Toshima Mystery Festival, planned by the Toshima Art Culture Urban Planning Council, a general incorporated association that organizes Ikebukuro Mystery Town , in collaboration with Toshima Ward and the Mystery Writers of Japan, will be held at Owl Spot as the main venue and various locations in Toshima Ward as satellite venues.
In order to make Toshima Ward an even more mysterious and appealing city, a number of mystery-themed events and experiential content will be held, such as a reading of Edogawa Ranpo's "Oni" by Nosaka Lab and a collaborative mystery-solving event at Rikkyo University's school festival, so be sure to check it out.
<Past interview reports>
[Report] Members-only parfait bar "Remake easy Ikebukuro" opens. Enjoy limited edition macaron parfaits in a theater-themed hideaway for adults
Click here for a list of interview reports
