Themed restaurants

Tokyo offers a wide selection of themed restaurants, some rather gimmicky but some being great options for a fun night out.

The most famous of these is probably the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku. A show quite unlike anything you’ll have seen before, this is a fast and furious neon lit extravaganza of son et lumière, Japanese style. Robots, ninja, dinosaurs and girls in bikinis and glitzy outfits battle it out while lights flash and live taiko drummers create the beat alongside pumping techno music!

However, despite its name, we don’t really recommend the food (essentially just a pre-made bento lunchbox) but a visit to the show itself is likely to be a unique experience.

Ninja in Akasaka is another popular choice. Here, waiters dressed as ninja lead diners along dark winding corridors to their table, while others suddenly appear with menus and sneak in soundlessly with your food. A wandering magician goes from table to table performing excellent close up magic and sleight of hand but this won’t detract from the food, which is actually a pretty good fusion of Japanese and Western dishes.

There are a range of menu options and while Ninja is probably the most expensive themed restaurant in Tokyo, we think it may well be the best.

There are now 7 separate Alice in Wonderland themed restaurants around the capital, each with their own theme and design; Alice in a Labyrinth, Alice in a Fantasy Land, Alice in a Dancing Land to name but a few. The food is also often themed, such as the Green Caterpillar tuna and avocado sushi roll, or the cute Mock Turtle Mimosa Salad and these restaurants are particularly likely to be popular with young girls.

Moonflower Sagaya, is a dining space born from a collaboration of Sagaya Ginza, a restaurant that specializes in seasonal dishes and the high quality brand of Wagyu beef “Saga Beef,” and the art collective teamLab, known for their hugely popular installations such as Borderless and Planets. The restaurant’s interior space offers a perfect fusion of food and art. Guests can enjoy delicious dishes made with seasonal ingredients, while appreciating an interactive digital art installation featuring trees and flowers that unfold themselves across the dinnerware, as they change from season to season.