TBS Drama Experience Event: VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION — From Here, Your Adventure Begins —

For fans of the Sunday Theater “VIVANT,” the wait for the story’s continuation can be grueling—particularly following the temporary hiatus that began after the broadcast on Sunday, September 13. To bridge this gap, TBS Television is offering an unprecedented opportunity to step beyond the screen and enter the narrative directly. From Wednesday, September 16, 2026, to Friday, November 27, 2026, the “VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION” will take place at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi, Tokyo, allowing participants to engage with the series’ complex world through a series of high-stakes, top-secret missions.

Step Into the World of VIVANT

Unlike a standard exhibition, this event is designed as an immersive operation. Visitors do not simply observe; they assume roles—such as “Beppan,” “Public Security,” or “Tent”—and navigate the event using the dedicated “Auris” smartphone app. By choosing one of four distinct courses—”Beppan,” “Public Security,” “Tent,” or “Searching for Drum’s comrades”—participants engage with the plot from different operational perspectives.

The experience is anchored by the use of authentic sets from the drama, providing a level of detail that separates this event from typical promotional pop-ups. Visitors can explore the “Operations Room” of the 303rd room of the bouquiniste bookstore in Azerbaijan visited by Nogi in Episode 18, the “MPD Public Security Bureau Foreign Affairs Division 4” (the site of numerous pivotal investigation meetings), and the “Tent Underground Prison” where Nogi and Kurosu were held during the first season.

The mission is guided by the voices of a luxurious cast of 12 members. Familiar characters—including Yusuke Nogi (Masato Sakai), Mamoru Nozaki (Hiroshi Abe), Nokoru (Kazunari Ninomiya), Shun Kurosu (Tori Matsuzaka), Kotaro Shinjo (Ryosei Shiranai), Ari (Takashi Yamanaka), Drum (Drum Tomoe / CV: Megumi Hayashibara), Yutaro Sano (Yajuro Bando), Shota Tojo (Gaku Hamada), Satomi Sakurai (Midoriko Kimura), and Toshihiko Nagano (Fumiyo Kohinata)—will provide navigation via audio. Once all tests are completed, AI Hayato (CV: Minami Takayama) will calculate the participant’s aptitude value, concluding a tension-filled experience where the story advances based on the user’s specific choices.

The VIVANT EXTRA MISSION CAFE

To further immerse the senses, the venue hosts the “VIVANT EXTRA MISSION CAFE.” This collaboration cafe offers a menu supervised by the drama’s production team—who conducted repeated tastings to ensure authenticity—that recreates famous scenes and the grand atmosphere of the series.

One of the most anticipated items is the “Nozaki and Drum’s sincy Prison Meal Set,” which recreates the fried rice (the “Drum’s Fried Rice” that became a hot topic in Episode 17) and steamed meat buns consumed in the cell where Nozaki and Drum were captured. For dessert, the “Beginning Desert Tiramisu ~Feel the Wind of Balca~” evokes the vast, symbolic deserts that define the start of the journey. With meticulous attention to plating and naming, the cafe serves as a space to soak in the lingering emotions of the story after the mission concludes.

Event-Limited Merchandise

A wide array of original goods, available exclusively at the “VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION,” are available for purchase. These range from character-themed accessories to items incorporating the aesthetics of the opposing factions.

• Face Pouch (2 types: Vivant-chan / Drum): 1,650 yen (tax included)
• Diatomaceous Earth Coaster (3 types: Logo / Beppan / Tent): 1,870 yen (tax included)
• Banshu-ori Tenugui Hand Towel (2 types: Red-Black / Black): 3,300 yen (tax included)
• Kawara Senbei (printed with AI Hayato and the logo): 1,620 yen (tax included)

Visitor Information and Logistics

Basic Info

• Venue / Nearest Station: CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO / Kyobashi (Tokyo) Station
• Location: 〒104-0031 Tokyo-to Chuo-ku Kyobashi 1-7-1 TODA BUILDING 6F MAP
• Period: 2026/09/16 (Wed) ～ 2026/11/27 (Fri)
• Hours:
  • Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun: 10:00–18:00 (Last entry 17:00)
  • Fri, Sat, Hol: 10:00–20:00 (Last entry 19:00)
  • Special Hours (11/27 only): 10:00–18:00 (Last entry 17:00)
• Fees/Costs:
  • Weekdays: General/University Students: 2,500 yen / High School Students: 1,700 yen / Middle/Elementary School Students: 900 yen
  • Sat, Sun, Hol: General/University Students: 2,800 yen / High School Students: 2,000 yen / Middle/Elementary School Students: 1,200 yen
• Inquiries: 050-5541-8600
• Official Website: https://www.tbs.co.jp/VIVANT-immersive-mission/
• Official SNS: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/VIVANT_MISSION
• Ticketing: eplus | TBS Tickets

Important Notes for Visitors

The event operates by prior reservation for specified dates and times. While entry is free for those bringing a disability certificate (including one accompanying person), a prior reservation via the eplus ticket sales page is still required.

Because the experience relies on the free “Auris” app, visitors must install it prior to arrival. Please ensure your device is supported:

• iPhone: iOS 15.6 or later (models released from November 2017 onwards, including iPhone X and SE 2nd generation).
• Android: Android 12 or higher (ARCore compatible models).

Visitors are required to bring their own earphones or headphones. Please be aware that photography is prohibited within the venue, except in designated areas.

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What is VIVANT?

VIVANT is a Japanese television drama series that started on TBS in July 2023. It follows a Japanese business executive whose ordinary work assignment in another country turns into a larger confrontation involving espionage, local politics, and personal survival. The story moves between Tokyo boardrooms, the Mongolian desert, and the fictional nation of Barka, and its principal characters are repeatedly forced to choose between duty, self-interest, and outside loyalties.

The series was widely discussed in Japan for its production values, its layered plot, and its ensemble cast, led by Masato Sakai. The title is the Esperanto word for “alive,” a reference to the show’s interest in how people respond when their usual social rules disappear. TBS revealed little about the plot in advance, so audience discussion during the original broadcast became part of the series’s reception. That combination of large-scale location work, long-form storytelling, and information control is the basis for VIVANT Immersive Mission 2026, a Tokyo event designed around the show’s settings and narrative world.

Don Ito’s! 4th Hanshin Donburi Fest

Donburi is one of Japan’s quickest meals: a single bowl of rice, a topping, no need for multiple dishes. But the 4th Hanshin Donburi Fest is built around the idea that the right toppings can turn that simple bowl into something closer to an elegant feast. It takes place at Shokusai Terrace on the first floor of Hanshin Umeda Main Store from 2026/10/14 (Wed) through 10/19 (Mon).

The menu spans meat and seafood with a strong tilt toward indulgence. Highlights include A5-rank Japanese Black Wagyu and Yonezawa beef steak & sukiyaki bowls, fragrant thick-cut skirt steak bowls, and Nagoya Cochin chicken and egg bowls. For seafood lovers, there are white shrimp tempura bowls and seafood bowls piled high with a variety of fish and shellfish. It is a lineup that makes a convincing case for eating lunch out of a single bowl.

The festival also puts a special focus on “donburi no atama”—the toppings themselves. In Japanese, “atama” means “head,” and in donburi it refers to the topping placed on top of the rice. These toppings are often the most flavorful part of the dish, and they also happen to pair exceptionally well with alcohol. Refreshing drinks such as homemade lemonade will be available to cleanse the palate between rich bites.

On 10/17 (Sat), there will also be a talk show by Don Ito, director of the National Donburi Federation. The federation was established to revitalize local regions through donburi and to promote “DONBURI” culture to the world. Ito’s talk show will be held twice, at ①13:00 and ②15:00, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. No reservation is required, and admission to the talk show is free of charge.

Event details

• Period: 2026/10/14 (Wed) – 10/19 (Mon)
• Time: 10:00 – 20:00
• Location: Hanshin Umeda Main Store, 1st Floor, Shokusai Terrace (1-13-13 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City)
• Fee: Free admission
• Website: Hanshin Umeda Main Store event page

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What is a donburi?

A donburi is a Japanese rice bowl meal. The word means “bowl,” and in a restaurant context it refers to a complete dish served in one: steamed rice, a topping of meat, seafood, or vegetables, and often a sauce or broth that seasons the rice as it mixes with the other ingredients.

The format has many versions. Gyudon consists of beef and onion simmered in a sweetened soy-based sauce. Tendon is battered and fried seafood or vegetables placed over rice, with a dipping sauce poured on top. Kaisendon is a bowl of sashimi or other raw seafood. The toppings differ, but the structure is consistent: the topping is cooked or prepared separately, the rice is steamed, and the two are combined at serving time.

At the Hanshin Donburi Fest, this basic structure is used as the framework for a range of dishes. The event includes wagyu beef, seafood, and other preparations arranged over warm rice. The focus is on how each component is seasoned and how it interacts with the rice. Because donburi is not a single recipe but a category, it accommodates both everyday cooking and higher-end ingredients without changing the essential format.

Gashōen × Fujita Museum of Art: “Noh ~ Teach Us, Noh Performers!”

The Shukugawa Noh Stage “Gashōen” and the Fujita Museum—a museum of Japanese and Oriental antiquities in Miyakojima-ku, Osaka City—have teamed up for a special exhibition titled “Tell Me, Noh Performer!” The collaboration is a series of projects designed to untangle the complexities of Noh in an easy-to-understand way. It focuses on how Noh plays have spread far beyond the stage, becoming subjects in paintings and giving their names to tea utensils. Visitors can see the living Noh tradition through the Ueda family, Kanze-school shite-kata performers who carry Noh into the present day, alongside the artworks inherited by the Fujita Museum.

Across precious art crafts, Noh costumes, masks, and other items—including Hishikawa Moronobu’s Scroll of the Sake-Swallowing Child of Mt. Oe—the exhibition builds an elegant world in which art and Noh music resonate with each other. This is a rare opportunity to encounter Noh not as a remote classical form, but as a cultural language shared by painters, performers, tea masters, and collectors. During the exhibition period, visitors can also join daily gallery talks by curators, special commentaries by Noh performers, and numerous commemorative events.

Exhibition details

• Period: 2026/10/1 (Thu) – 12/28 (Mon)
• Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (*Opens at 12:00 on 10/1 only)
• Location: Fujita Museum (10-32 Amishima-cho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka City)
• Fee: 1,000 yen (*Free for those 19 and under)
• Inquiries: 06-6351-0582
• Website: https://fujita-museum.or.jp/

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What is Noh?

Noh is a form of Japanese theatre that took its present shape in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It combines dance, chant, and instrumental music on a nearly bare wooden stage. Unlike realistic Western drama, it does not aim to reproduce everyday life. The main actor often wears a carved wooden mask; because the mask does not move, expression is communicated through posture, the angle of the head, and the pacing of gestures.

A typical Noh play is short and follows a formal structure. The cast is small: the principal actor (shite), a companion (tsure), and a secondary actor (waki), with a chorus and a small ensemble of flute and drums. The stage is plain, with a single painted pine tree on the back panel and no other scenery. Actors enter along a bridgeway at the side. Movement and speech are highly codified; a fan, a fold of a sleeve, or a few steps can stand for a journey, a confrontation, or a change of mind.

Many plays are drawn from classical Japanese literature and legend. A common pattern is for a traveler to encounter a stranger who gradually proves to be the ghost of a historical figure or a local deity. The stories are not presented as realistic narratives but as material for carefully shaped performance. The term yūgen, often used in writing about Noh, refers to the effect of depth and quietness that emerges from this restraint: nothing is shown fully, and the audience is left to complete the meaning.

For centuries Noh was supported by the warrior class and performed at temples, shrines, and court events. Training remained hereditary, and several schools still preserve the original texts and stage techniques. After the Meiji Restoration it lost its official patronage but continued as a private art. Today it is listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and performances are held regularly in Tokyo and other cities. Noh asks for close attention, but it does not try to make that attention easy; the rewards are in the precision of the form and the economy of means.

Tourist Information “THE GATE”

A place to encounter the charms of Aichi and Central Japan through travel, culture, crafts, and local sake.

For a limited time, Nagoya Station will host “THE GATE,” a tourist information center focused on the traditional culture, crafts, and regional sake of Aichi and Central Japan. From September 11 to November 3, 2026, the venue at the Meitetsu Department Store Special Space will offer expert guidance, consultations, and tour reservations for anyone planning to explore the area.

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A starting point for Aichi and Central Japan

THE GATE is more than a place to pick up brochures. It combines travel information with the region’s cultural traditions, putting local crafts and sake alongside the practical advice travelers need. That combination makes the venue useful for two kinds of visitors: travelers who want a tailored introduction to the region, and locals who want to rediscover what their own area has to offer.

Expert guides are on hand to answer questions and help shape itineraries. Consultations can be handled in person, and tour reservations can be made directly at the venue, which saves time compared to contacting multiple operators separately. Whether you have a specific route in mind or are still deciding what to see, the guidance available here is designed to make the next step clear.

Practical information

The venue is located on the first floor of the Meitetsu Bus Terminal Building, so it is an easy stop for anyone coming through Nagoya’s main train stations. With no closed days during the event period, it is open every day from 11:00 to 19:00. The event runs until November 3, 2026—a Tuesday and national holiday—making that day a fitting final chance to encounter the charms of Aichi and Central Japan.

THE GATE is a travel information and cultural exhibition space located at Nagoya Station. It opened in time for the 2026 travel season and provides practical services for visitors to Nagoya, Aichi, and the wider Central Japan region, alongside exhibits and activities related to local culture.

The name is intended to emphasize the station’s role as an entry point to the area. Nagoya Station is one of Central Japan’s main transport hubs, with JR lines, Meitetsu, the municipal subway, and long-distance buses converging there. THE GATE is part of the recent redevelopment around the station and combines digital information displays, rotating exhibitions, and hands-on cultural programming in a single space.

Visitors can:

• Pick up maps and multilingual sightseeing recommendations for Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine, Osu Shopping Street, and other destinations in Chubu.
• Book regional rail passes, day tours, and cultural workshops, including Seto-yaki pottery-making with local craftspeople and arimatsu shibori tie-dyeing classes.
• View an interactive exhibition corner that covers Aichi’s traditional crafts, samurai history, festival culture, automotive innovation, aerospace engineering, and next-generation rail systems.
• Purchase curated local specialties from Aichi and neighboring Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka, such as miso katsu, tebasaki, red bean desserts, and other regional food and gift items.
• Attend scheduled events, including tea ceremony demonstrations, taiko drum performances, and seasonal festival showcases that rotate through the year.

The space is designed to be useful for different types of travelers. For those passing through Nagoya for a single day before connecting to another city by Shinkansen, it offers a quick overview of what can be done in a limited time. For visitors planning a longer trip across Central Japan, it provides route guidance, ticket assistance, and access to workshops and tours that would otherwise require more research.

The exhibition contents and event schedule change periodically, so the center also works as a place to return to during a longer stay. It does not replace the experience of visiting the places it covers, but it gives visitors enough context to plan where to go and what to pay attention to.

THE GATE is a practical first stop for travelers looking for clear information about Aichi’s history, industry, and contemporary culture before deciding how to spend their time in the region.

SAKAMOTO DAYS Exhibition

The premise is simple enough: a plump, easygoing man runs an ordinary shop in town. He is also a former legendary hitman. Since its serialization began in 2020, SAKAMOTO DAYS has gained a devoted readership through Yuto Suzuki’s overwhelming artwork, charming characters, and story structures that slide effortlessly between comedy and high-stakes action. The TV anime adaptation drew an even wider audience. Now, a large-scale original work exhibition is touring to Nagoya.

At the heart of the exhibition are Suzuki’s intense, beautifully rendered illustrations. The exhibition fixtures and spatial composition have been designed to be dynamic, encouraging visitors to experience with their whole bodies the nerve-wracking battles of assassins, the vividness hidden within a single blow amid fierce fighting, and the profound story shaped by layers of past karmic ties. That experience is organized around two “lines”: the line of determination that assassins wield with their respective weapons, and the line delivered by Suzuki from the tip of his pen. Destruction and creation stand at the center of the whole event.

For manga devotees, the original materials are the main attraction. The exhibition displays more than 170 completed manuscripts, including color illustrations, alongside over 90 pieces of treasured creative material, all unveiled with the full cooperation of the author. These include unpublished sketches, storyboard drafts known as names, and “rejected drawings” of pages—material that gives a rare look at the working process behind the finished manga.

Exhibition details

• Dates: October 3 (Sat) – November 23 (Mon/Holiday), 2026
• Time: 10:00–17:00 (Last admission 16:30)
• Venue: Telepia Hall
• Fees:
  • General: 2,000 yen
  • Middle/High School students: 1,500 yen
  • Elementary school students: 900 yen
  • With goods (limited quantity): 4,200 yen
• Contact: SAKAMOTO DAYS Exhibition Nagoya Secretariat
  • TEL: 090-9712-7096
• Website: https://telepiahall.com/event/sakamoto-days/
• Official X (Nagoya Venue): https://x.com/telepiahall

Access:

• 10-minute walk from “Sakae” Station on the Nagoya City Subway Higashiyama Line
• 10-minute walk from “Takaoka” Station on the Nagoya City Subway Sakura-dori Line

Ticket notes:

• For this exhibition, only October 3 (Sat) and October 4 (Sun) from 10:00 to 13:00 require a date-and-time-specified admission ticket. Those tickets are already sold out. For all other dates and times, visitors may enter without specifying a date and time.
• Ticket purchases at the venue window are cash payment only.
• The venue window will not sell date-and-time-specified admission tickets or admission tickets with goods.

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What is SAKAMOTO DAYS?

SAKAMOTO DAYS is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki. It has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since November 2020.

The story centers on Taro Sakamoto, a former hitman whose reputation once made him a target for every ambitious killer in the business. At the height of his career, he falls in love with a woman named Aoi and decides to retire. He trades the job for a convenience store, a wife, and a child, and for a while the new life holds. But the past keeps arriving at his doorstep: old rivals, hired assassins, and a standing bounty eventually force him back into action.

Sakamoto has gained weight since his prime, and he no longer looks like the sharp, dangerous figure he once was. That contrast is part of the series’ humor, but it is not played only for jokes. When his family is threatened, he moves with the same speed and precision he had as a hitman, and the fight scenes treat his abilities as practical skills rather than magical gifts. He is supported by Shin Asakura, a store clerk who can read minds, and a former hitman named Son Hee. The three handle conflicts that come to them, usually because someone from Sakamoto’s past wants a score settled.

The action is inventive without trying to impress the reader through sheer scale. Suzuki’s paneling keeps the choreography legible, and fights are often resolved using the environment or the opponent’s own abilities. The tone alternates between slapstick and violence, but the shifts are controlled. The supporting cast each have distinct motives and fighting styles, which matter more than simple rankings of strength. The series never insists on telling the reader that family is important; it simply shows Sakamoto protecting his, and lets the actions speak for themselves.

An exhibition in Nagoya in 2026 will display Suzuki’s original manuscripts and artwork, offering a closer look at the draftsmanship behind the series.