Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant was a top tourist destination for years before it closed during the pandemic. A gaudy experiment in dinner theater, it often sated appetites for “wacky” Japan even if the food left visitors wanting.
The neon-soaked streets of the Kabukicho nightlife district are now serving up a similarly kitschy second course: Samurai Restaurant Time. In the same location as its predecessor, the show opened Oct. 10. It’s run by the people behind Gira Gira Girls, a “girl’s bar” in the same building that delivers what would be considered adult entertainment in most countries.
This association with Gira Gira Girls confused one honeymooning couple who were visiting from Los Angeles. Even more confusing was the scene that awaited them on their pre-2:30 p.m. arrival: a BDSM stage performance complete with revealing leather costumes and flogs (the show now asks ticket holders to arrive at 2:30 p.m. in order to avoid any adult content).