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Girls, Robots, and Rock: Tokyo’s Amazing Robot Restaurant
“The greatest show in the history of entertainment.” — Anthony Bourdain
Shinjuku is a district tucked in the north-west corner of Tokyo. Shinjuku houses the world’s busiest train station, the Tokyo Government Office, and Lost in Translation’s Park Hyatt Hotel. A few turns through side streets and the skyscrapers turn into neon lights. This is Kabukicho, Tokyo’s largest red light district.
Kabukicho glows in neon and LED. Animated signs and video screens cover every available surface. As people enter and exit buildings, overwhelming noise escapes into the city streets to beckon the sea of humanity outside. From pachinko to sex stores, Kabukicho has whatever you’re looking for.
In the middle of Kabukicho sits a building that adds chrome to the light and sound. The LED and chrome is so bright, it’s like staring into the sun. This is Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant, the place Anthony Bourdain called the “greatest show in the history of entertainment.”
The receptionist, speaking no English, takes our tickets. He bows slightly, nods, and points for us to follow the couple in front of us. We cross the street, pass into an ally, and approach a door with a laminated sign reading “Robot Restaurant”. The door leads to a set of stairs that deposit us at an elevator. I wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into.
The elevator opens into a room that would put Liberace to shame.
Oversized chairs adorned in gold await our presence. The walls are giant LED screens cycling pictures of Japanese girls in costumes. A bar serves overpriced coffee, beer, and sake.
