Liberdade — The Kasato Maru's Cipher
Decipher the hidden truth behind the Kasato Maru's arrival in 1908. Uncover what the first Japanese immigrants really carried ashore—and why São Paulo's elite wanted it buried.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
On June 18, 1908, the steamship Kasato Maru docked in Santos carrying 781 Japanese immigrants destined for São Paulo's coffee plantations
Liberdade — The Kasato Maru's Cipher
You are Hiroshi Yamashita, a Japanese-Brazilian community leader in São Paulo, 1970s, dedicated to preserving the legacy of Japanese immigration in the face of rapid urbanization.
Your
Dive into the epic saga of Japanese pioneers who built the Liberdade district in São Paulo, transforming a modest neighborhood into a vibrant center of Japanese culture.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Your quest begins at Praça da Liberdade, the nerve center of São Paulo's Liberdade Japanese district. This central square, named in reference to Japanese immigration and freedom, houses the main Torii, a traditional Japanese gate installed in 1978. This Torii commemorates the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the first immigrants, symbolically marking the entry into this part of the Brazilian southeast heritage. The Japanese shops and restaurants surrounding it bear witness to the cultural effervescence that has reigned there for decades.
Continue your exploration towards the Monumento à Imigração Japonesa, a key site in your historical journey. Inaugurated in 1963, this monument recalls the arrival of the Kasato Maru ship on June 18, 1908, carrying 781 Japanese immigrants to Santos. The work of sculptor Paulo Ferreira Dias, depicting a Japanese family looking towards Brazil, is a powerful symbol of integration and perseverance. This monument, located near Praça da Liberdade, anchors the pioneers' narrative at the heart of São Paulo.
The path then leads you to Parque Kasato Maru, a haven of peace inaugurated in 1989. This park honors the arrival of the Kasato Maru and the impact of Japanese immigration on Brazil. There you will discover a replica of the ship and commemorative elements that tell the Japanese-Brazilian story through ecological trails and green spaces. It is here, within this park in the Liberdade district, that you will decipher the first clues related to the Kasato Maru's numbers, revealing unknown aspects of this human odyssey.
Your journey guides you to the Jardim Oriental, a traditional Japanese garden created in 1978 in Praça da Liberdade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of immigration. Designed with ponds, bridges, and typical Japanese vegetation over approximately 500 m², this garden is a central element of the Liberdade district. It offers a sensory immersion into Japanese aesthetics, a testament to the cultural resilience of immigrants who managed to recreate a piece of their homeland in the southeast. Through its paths, you discover how traditions have been maintained and passed down.
By completing your investigation in São Paulo's Liberdade Japanese district, you will have not only visited emblematic monuments like the Torii da Praça da Liberdade but also understood the depth of the legacy left by these pioneers. From the Capela Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos, a Portuguese colonial building predating immigration, to vibrant streets like Rua Galvão Bueno, Rua da Glória, and Rua Thomaz Gonzaga, each site will have revealed a part of São Paulo's history. This thematic circuit allows you to see how a community forged its identity, making the Liberdade district a living heritage of Japanese immigration to Brazil since 1908.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Japanese Culture
Immerse yourself in the vibrant heritage and traditions of São Paulo's Japanese community.
Immigration Story
Follow in the footsteps of pioneers and discover the challenges and successes of early immigrants.
Quest for Freedom
Explore how a place of suffering became a powerful symbol of freedom and human resilience.
Uncover the secret philosophy behind Liberdade's transformation.
The past never dies, it waits to be revealed.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
Dive into the epic saga of Japanese pioneers who built the Liberdade district in São Paulo, transforming a modest neighborhood into a vibrant center of Japanese culture.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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