What is This...!? A Mysterious, Fantastical Entrance Discovered

While walking through the Tokyo Game Show 2026 venue, I discovered an entrance emitting a strangely fantastical aura. Was it a game dungeon, or a gate to another world...? Curious, I ventured inside, and what awaited me beyond was a throne.

Since I was there, I decided to sit down. "Hmm, I am the king—." This booth, where you can immerse yourself in such a feeling, is actually by Nakanishi Seisakusho, a manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment.

Nakanishi Seisakusho is a company that started in 1946 with the sale of aluminum tableware for school lunches. Subsequently, they developed dishwashers, rice cooking systems, and sterilization/storage equipment, and now manufacture and sell commercial kitchen equipment for schools, hospitals, businesses, and restaurants. They are truly "school lunch professionals," having supported school lunches for many years.

Its True Identity: The Royal Palace of a 'School Lunch Center Management Game'!

Why is such a kitchen equipment manufacturer at TGS? The answer lies in their smartphone game, 'Kyushoku Master! Casual School Lunch Center Management in Another World!'

'Kyushoku Master!' is a management simulation game set in another world where food culture has declined, and the player becomes the manager of a school lunch center. While handling kitchen layout, menu creation, and hygiene management, players restore the joy of food to the people and develop the town.

What's interesting is that Nakanishi Seisakusho has incorporated the kitchen design know-how cultivated in actual school lunch centers into the game.

And the mysterious entrance and throne discovered this time are actually reproductions of the game's world. The TGS2026 booth is said to be designed to evoke the royal palace of the king appearing in the opening of 'Kyushoku Master!' and the surrounding castle town. In other words, sitting on the throne and declaring 'I am the king' might actually be the correct way to enjoy it.

Major 'Ver.2.0' Update Released to Coincide with TGS Opening

'Kyushoku Master!' also received a major update, 'Ver.2.0,' on September 17, the opening day of TGS2026. In addition to rarity elements being added to dishes, the number of attempts for dish development has become unlimited, and a new 'Dietitian Quiz' based on the 'Mass Cooking Facility Hygiene Management Manual' for school lunches has also been introduced.

Multi-endings, where the outcome changes based on the player's school lunch center management, have also been implemented. It's designed so that players can naturally learn about the work and hygiene management of a school lunch center while playing the game.

Furthermore, the booth is distributing original novelty items, reproducing the in-game item 'Master Potion,' in limited quantities. An alternate reality game (ARG) titled 'CAREER ANSWER,' which serves as Episode 0 of 'Kyushoku Master!,' is also being unveiled for the first time.

No latest GPUs or gaming PCs were to be found. Yet, passing through the mysterious entrance reveals a royal palace, and beyond it, a 'school lunch center management game' awaits. It's precisely because of this incredibly unexpected combination—kitchen equipment manufacturer × other world × game—that it's so strangely intriguing. It was a booth full of such TGS-like discoveries.

ASCII is currently publishing articles by its on-site reporting team as 'Tokyo Game Show 2026 Reports!'

We will continue to introduce stories about the latest technologies and interesting products found at the venue. Let's fully enjoy this year's Tokyo Game Show 2026 together with ASCII!

Tokyo Game Show 2026, venue scene