11 of the weirdest bars in Japan

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We don’t want to stereotype an entire country, but Japan can be sort of insane. They really go for the gusto in just about everything they do, and that extends to their drinking establishments. Certain Tokyo neighborhoods are notorious for hosting some of the most bizarre bars in the world.

Come with us on a pub crawl unlike any you’ve ever experienced.

Vibe Bar

Shibuya is one of the edgiest neighborhoods of Tokyo, and plenty of unusual watering holes are located here. Well, maybe we shouldn’t use the term “watering hole” when we talk about a bar full of vibrators.

Vibe Bar Wildone boasts a selection of over 300 sex toys to be explored while you knock back cocktails. No, insertion isn’t allowed on the premises (thank God), but once you walk through the vagina-shaped doorway and pay the cover charge you can fondle and inspect the dildos for two straight hours. And yes, if you find one you like you can buy it and take it home.

Neko Bar Akanasu

Japanese culture isn’t really known for pet ownership, due to small living spaces and a cultural predilection for cleanliness, but that doesn’t keep them from wanting the companionship of an animal friend. One place that you can enjoy some fuzzy snuggles is Neko Bar Akanasu, a little izakaya by Ekoda Station.

Five cats roam around the premises on their own volition, cozying up to patrons and sitting on their laps. The felines are the ones in charge, though – signs around the premises warn customers to not grab them or try to make them play when they’re not in the mood.

Alcatraz ER

If you want to have the crap scared out of you while you’re drinking, a stop at Tokyo’s Alcatraz ER might be in order. This oddball themed restaurant combines “prison” and “hospital” into a mélange of blood and bizarreness.

The drinks are served in giant syringes, waitresses are dressed like demented nurses, and if you want to get their attention you need to rattle on the bars of your booth with a lead pipe. Floor shows amp up the weirdness to nuclear levels, with homicidal clowns menacing patrons with plastic weaponry and giant dildos.

Shooting Bar EA

Japan has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, but that doesn’t mean people there don’t dig firearms. And combining firearms with alcohol? That’s what happens every night at Shooting Bar EA, where you can pop caps while kicking back cocktails.

Sure, the weapons here are all just air rifles and firing lanes in the back let you take aim at paper targets. While you wait to shoot off replicas from AK-47s to the “Samurai Edge” pistol from the Resident Evil games, you can enjoy a drink from their menu of weapons-grade alcohol.

Kayabukiya Tavern

Unlike many of the other bars on this list, the Kayabukiya Tavern doesn’t look too unusual from the street. The décor is pretty standard Utsonomiya sake house, with wood-paneled walls and framed photographs of happy customers. But it’s the staff that push this one into our lens.

Two of the most famous waitresses at Kayabukiya aren’t human – they’re macaque monkeys. Yat-chan and Fuku-chan, the pair of primates, take drink orders from customers and deliver libations to the tables, to be rewarded with delicious boiled soybeans. Amazingly enough, the bar’s owner didn’t actually teach the monkeys how to wait tables. They learned by observing him, but they’re pretty damn good at it.

Christon

Western religions aren’t such a big deal in Japan, but they can still appreciate the trappings. That’s the explanation behind Christon, a fancy Tokyo bar that is slathered floor to ceiling in crosses and other Judeo-Christian iconography.

Some of the items, including the main altar, were actually purchased from European medieval churches for extra authenticity. The style is attractive to the “gothic Lolita” subculture popular among some teenage girls, so it shouldn’t be particularly surprising that Christon is occasionally used for all-night bondage fetish parties as well.

Office

Going to the bar after work is a necessary escape for millions of corporate drones. So why would you want to spend your free time in a bar that looks exactly like an office?

Tokyo’s Office bar perfectly replicates a soul-deadening workplace with a photocopier, PowerPoint presentations on the walls, and drafting tables. The place is a popular hangout for burned-out creatives, who dig the soft lighting and chilled-out tunes played by the bar’s DJs.

Penguin Bar Ikebukuro

We’ve already seen a bar where you can drink with monkeys and one where you can drink with cats, so why not give our feathered friends some love?

Penguin Bar Ikebukuro is dedicated to those chubby flightless creatures known as penguins, and not only are the walls lined with pictures of the birds, but a tank in the back of the space holds three birds, who curiously watch bargoers. You can also pay a little extra for the chance to feed the penguins dead fish, if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking to do on a night out.

Little TGV

Otaku – basically the Japanese word for “nerds”- come in many different flavors. But unlike their American counterparts, they seem to be a little more accepted by society at large. How else to explain the success of Akihabara’s Little TGV, a bar and restaurant devoted to model railroad fans?

The bar and café has TVs on the walls running non-stop trainspotting videos and a huge scale layout that you can even bring your own trains to use on. Oh, and don’t forget the servers dressed in cute cosplay-style railroad attendant uniforms.

Kaiju Sakaba

Obviously we love Japan’s giant monsters, but have you ever wanted to drink with one? That’s the premise behind Kaiju Sakaba, a Kawasaki-area bar that’s dedicated to city-smashing men in rubber suits.

Display cases full of plastic monster models fill the tables, and the manager wears an absurd costume as he makes sure customers are satisfied. Food and drink are all Ultraman-themed as well. Keep in mind that superheroes and members of the Science Patrol aren’t permitted in the doors – this spot is villains only.

Kagaya

Regarded as possibly the weirdest bar in Tokyo, Kagaya hits #1 on this list not because of any immediately obvious gimmick. It looks like an ordinary izakaya in the basement of a strip mall, with subdued décor and light music. But once you meet host Mark Kagaya, all the normalcy goes out the window.

Wearing bizarre costumes or manipulating enormous puppets, Kagaya serves drinks in peeing fountains, shaking cups and other bizarre methods. The bill is acted out in mime, customers are asked to choose countries to determine their food options, and sometimes Mark’s 70 year old mother helps out just for fun.

So there you go – a serious (and silly) drinker’s guide to Japan’s most notoriously weird bars. Buy a round for the house, but don’t worry about tipping – they don’t really do that there.

http://www.geek.com/news/11-of-the-weirdest-bars-in-japan-1618110/