Regarding Substory 15: If I Weren't An Idol...
So, I didn't know this when I played the game myself, but I noticed some Japanese streamers talking about this substory, and that got me curious.
Turns out, this substory is inspired by a real-life event.
In 2007, Kaori Iida (one of the original members of idol group Morning Musume), announced a fan meeting with her and Yuki Maeda from Hello! Project (another idol group) for July 7, 2007. For 19,000 yen, up to 300 people would be taken to a campsite in Kanto (exact location was a secret) for a include a meet-and-greet, photo opportunities, BBQ lunch, celebrating the Tanabata festival, a mini concert, etc.
Then, on the evening of July 6th, Iida announced that she was getting married--to Kenji from the band 7 House--and that she was 3 months pregnant.
Fans were obviously shocked.
The day of the event, participants gathered at Tokyo Station to board a bus and be taken to the location. One account says that the people on the second and third bus was pretty positive and enthusiastic, while the first one (which had the most devoted fans) was quiet and solemn like a wake.
The venue was Shimizu Park in Noda city, Chiba. Since only specific areas of the park were reserved, the fans would awkwardly be having lunch while regular visitors would walk past and be able to see them.
The BBQ lunch is notorious for consisting of a single sausage, a single piece of meat, and 1/3 of a banana for dessert. But, actually, this is false. It's just a bit of misinformation that went viral, as people who attended have posted photos of a much more substantial meal.
The 1/3 of a banana per person for dessert, however, IS true.
Supposedly a fan had eaten 2 whole bananas and got chewed out by the staff for it). Also, beer was available, but at an additional charge of 500 yen.
The only drink included with the package was oolong tea (1 1.5 litre bottle per table which has a max capacity of 8 people) by Kikkoman (yes, the soy sauce makers). This detail was particularly notable because no one knew Kikkoman even made oolong tea to begin with. Turns out, Shimizu Park was created by the father of the first president of Kikkoman, and the company still manages the place.
After lunch, the group is ushered over to a maze in the park that would feature a quiz/scavenger hunt. It's located 500 meters away, and everyone has to walk there--not exactly fun to do immediately after eating. They're told by the staff that they're "pressed for time, so try to get through the maze as quickly as possible." July in Japan is humid and hot as hell. Everyone was exhausted by the end of the maze. One account says someone even got sick and threw up. Some may or may not have gotten stuck there and ended up late to the event.
They then had to walk all the way back, and entered a small building where a thoroughly lackluster stage was set. The winners of the maze "game" were announced, and they received their prize--a small bottle of star sand. Iida and Maeda then had a chat with the audience and played some games, which led to a mini-concert, Tanabata-related activities, handshake event, and so on. The event concluded afterwards, and the fans boarded the bus and went back to Tokyo Station.
Despite this, the fans generally have said they enjoyed the event, though it was bittersweet. As far as I can tell, Iida has never addressed this event, and it's not clear how involved she was in the planning, or if she even was at all. But the incident became widely known, and has been embedded into pop culture history. There are urban legends saying that some fans were forever lost in the maze and still wander there to this day. On 2chan, "the maze of life" gets tossed around, too. Kikkoman's oolong tea, which has been discontinued since, has a sort of mythical status. Some of the fans that went to the event have kept in touch and sometimes gather at Shimizu Park to have BBQ and oolong tea.
...So yeah, THAT is where this substory originates from. Sorry for the long post, I just found this whole story fascinating.
*EDIT*: messed up in adding related pictures, they should work now.