8 Most Unique and Fun Themed Cafes and Restaurants in Tokyo

Feb 26, 2018

8 Most Unique and Fun Themed Cafes and Restaurants in Tokyo

If you think it’s only in anime, manga, tv shows and movies that Japan can be unique and creative, think again. Their culture whether in the ancient times or today has been the most colorful and out of the box. It reflects in all aspects of their lives no matter where they are. There’s always something extraordinary, bizarre and totally imaginative that they can conjure and it never ceases to provide fun and enjoyment to everyone especially those with adventurous palates.

Themes include science fiction, horror, suspense, fantasy and many more. If you’re planning to visit the land of the Rising Sun and experience dining at its most exciting, go through the list we’ve come up with and check out those that suit your taste or fancy.

1. Vampire Cafe

It’s a little ironic to have a vampire cafe when according to legend, vampires only drink blood. But because of the popularity of vampire anime, novels and movies from Japan and in the west, this cafe was built out of those inspirations. It’s not really a cafe but a restaurant which only serves dinner and cocktails. The cuisine is predominantly European because that’s where the vampire legends originate. It’s spooky with all the blood smears and the coffin right in the middle of the restaurant but not too scary that you won’t be able to enjoy their sumptuous offerings.

2. Ninja Akasaka

For the ninja fans out there who’d love to be served by ninja waiters and eat shuriken crackers served with shuriken shaped foie gras this restaurant is for you. They serve Japanese full course meals with ninja inspired names for the food items that are written on dark scrolls. While feasting on your dishes, perhaps enjoying your hunk of wagyu, the staff keeps you entertained with their cool magic tricks and other table side demonstrations.

3. Robot Restaurant

Located right at Shinjuku, the neon district of Tokyo, is a restaurant that offers more on entertainment rather than just pure dining experience. According to some reviews, food is just an add on, the show is what you really pay for. Although robots, dinosaurs and everything out of a science fiction thriller that you can imagine is right on stage complete with dancers and psychedelic lighting, their shows are not really for kids, the area where the restaurant is at is also not kid-friendly. Reservations should be made even before you arrive in the country because their tickets sell like hotcakes.

4. Kichijoji Yurei Izakaya “Yurei”

“Yurei” is ghost in Japanese so this obviously is a haunted ghost restaurant that is not for the faint of heart. Ghost waiters role play while they serve you creepy inspired dishes and drinks. They pretend that they are already dead and are souls serving customers who are also already “dead”. Their washroom is not for those who jump out of their skin easily because all the bleeding and flesh looking decors will drive you out right away. Whether or not you are a fan of horror and haunted-related scenes, a visit here will be an experience that you will never forget.

5. Alcatraz E.R.

Known to be one of Japan’s oldest and scariest themed restaurants, this medical prison has everything from food, cocktails, handcuffs and some metal pipe banging when you need anything from the waiters. Guests are handcuffed when they arrive and are led to their respective prison cells to eat and drink. The dishes are not as fancy but the drinks are a bit adult themed so this restaurant is really not for kids. The scenario in the prison hospital is that some deranged patients are on the loose and are out there to get you.

6. Uobei

It’s a sushi restaurant that of course sells all sorts of sushi dishes. So what makes it fancy and appealing? Your sushi is delivered through high speed chutes providing the high tech futuristic experience that is so Japanese. You order through a fairly huge touch screen panel in front of you and when you press “Order”, your plate of delectable sushi zooms towards you out of nowhere. You return the empty plate from where you received it. All you need to do is press a button before you know it, it zooms back to where it came from. It’s indeed the kind of restaurant worth considering to visit.

7. Zauo

You catch a fish and they cook it for you. The fun part? It’s right under the same roof or make it, you drop your line right beside your table. Pretty challenging and of course exciting for families and groups so it’s a must visit if your folks love fish and are game to get wet and catch some. Prices vary on what you catch and if you caught it, it goes straight to the chefs for them to cook it for you. And when you do catch one, the restaurant will let out a chant and applaud you for your feat.

8. Kawaii Monster Cafe

It’s probably going to be the most colorful cafe you’ll visit ever in your life. Everything from unicorns, bunnies, huge desserts and everything kawaii or cute in Japanese is all there. Their menu focuses more on desserts like cakes and sodas that are of course in different colors. There’s Colorful Rainbow Pasta, Colorful Poison Cake among other rainbow colored treats. The show is kid-friendly despite the waitresses wearing anime like outfits. If you’re an anime fan and you love everything colorful then you’re in for a treat.

Japanese work hard and are disciplined in everything that they do. At the end of the day, they too enjoy eating out with family and friends and hang out at cafes or clubs to relax. Because they can be super creative, they’ve added twists and a bit more excitement to the usual dining and de-stressing activities that people are comfortable with. They’ve come up with various themes that would pique the imagination of their guests and afford them with an experience they’ll never forget for the rest of their lives.

Photo by Marco Verch [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons