Description
In Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, the notorious red-light district of Kabukicho hides a mind-blowing, only-in-Japan dinner show in its maze of alleys. Samurai Restaurant Time!
This corner of Tokyo has been entertaining (and baffling) tourists since the days of the Tokyo Robot Restaurant. Now finally, after a long, quiet pandemic period, the same location hosts a brand-new madcap show to delight and confuse.
First, you'll have to step into Kabukicho:
If you go from JR Shinjuku Station, Kabukicho Sakura-dori Street is your gateway to chaos. It's easy to spot from the main street. Head down here until you find the dazzling entrance on your right, and step into the glittering lobby of GiraGiraGirls.
The venue for the show, GiraGiraGirls is a “girls bar” in the evening, where bikini-clad staff entertain the local, mostly male clientele.
In the afternoon, this glitzy thirst trap becomes a guilty pleasure of a tourist trap — one not to be missed. And the glammed-up waiting room that sparkles from top to bottom with glitz and glam barely hints at the intensity to come.
Check in at the counter here, then head down to the basement.
After checking in, pass the mirrored and bejeweled corridors to be seated in the bar/theater below. Arrive a few minutes early to get your glowstick ready and order any extra food or drinks you need!
If you arrive early and want to hang out before the main event, feel free to order extra drinks, soak up the interesting ambiance, and kick back as the anticipation builds
If three acts of mayhem is enough for you though, there's no need to be too early! When the Samurai Restaurant Time arrives, expect a full serving of the wild and wonderful.
Expect music, dance, and high-energy performances in fantastic costumes.
Strange monsters and exuberant athletes gyrate before you, building an electric atmosphere (with a tinge of weirdness) that must be experienced to be understood.
Enjoy the samurai aspect through campy fight scenes, and traditional culture themes like sakura, taiko drumming and Japanese “yokai” monsters.
Watch a drumming battle between angels and devils, and wave your glowsticks for dark samurai and shrine maidens embroiled in a battle for the fate of the earth, all as melodramatic as you could possibly hope for.
What's not to like?
If this all sounds a bit intense, that's because it is! But there are 2 decent intermissions, so you'll have plenty of time to eat your obento — surprisingly tasty — top up your drinks, and of course grab some themed souvenirs if you wish!
In the third act, a grand finale pulls out all the stops. The boundless energy of the performers builds to a crescendo of song, dance, and melodrama that sweeps everyone and everything along with it.