Tokyo

Tokyo: Adventurous types

Tokyo Insider

Alcatraz ER

If you're an adrenaline junkie, you'll love the adventurous options to be had in Tokyo. Our Insider shares the best thrills on offer.

Kagaya

The owner of this bizarre bar, Mark Kagaya, is a force of nature — he will serve you drinks in a frog costume, force you to play electric shock games and even chase you down the street at the end of the night. The bar has been going for years, yet Mark never seems to tire of being Tokyo's kookiest man. His long-suffering mother prepares tasty oden in the back. Located in the generally staid business district of Shimbashi (phone +81 3 3591 2347).

Chinggis Han

Men be warned — you will be forced to strip off, squeeze into ridiculously tight red briefs and wrestle with Suho, the owner of this Mongolian restaurant in Otsuka. Girls can dress up in traditional garb and everyone eats and drinks as much as they want for ¥4500. Suho speaks some English and may sing a traditional Mongolian song for you if you're lucky. Check the Chinggis Han website for a map (phone +81 3 5961 1851).

Cafe@home

Unlike some maid spots, both branches of this Akihabara-based cafe are foreigner friendly. The concept is this: you are a tired master who needs to relax. The girls in the cafe are anime-inspired maids who ease your burden by chatting, playing games and speaking in an ultra-humble form of Japanese. Your ¥700 entry fee also buys an official "Licence of Your Majesty", which can be used on subsequent visits.

Alcatraz ER

While dining in this prison-hospital-themed bar and restaurant in Shibuya, my good friend was kidnapped by monsters and stripped half-naked. A nurse then placed a handkerchief on his buttocks and pretended to inject him with a giant syringe. The food is average and the drinks overpriced, but the absurdity factor at Alcatraz ER is through the roof.

Calvados Magic Bar

Hidden on the fifth floor of a building in Shinjuku, everyone who works in Calvadosis a magician. There'll be a surprise in store almost every time you order a drink — one bartender's signature trick is to solve a Rubik's Cube while coins are taped to his eyes. Entry costs ¥4000 for two hours, a show and a free drink.

Aronia de Takazawa

So what makes this restaurant an adventure? First, it's notoriously hard to find. And it's next to impossible to get a table (there are only two). But most of all, the food is a revelation — bizarre and mind-bogglingly delicious. One dish, the "ratatouille", features 15 kinds of individually prepared vegetables. It takes Chef Takazawa half a day to prepare — you eat it in one bite, and it's like a little slice of heaven. It's a financial adventure too — two of us spent over ¥70,000 between us. But considering that it's just been selected as one of Food and Wine magazines Top 10 life-changing restaurants, perhaps it's a small price to pay.

Nakano Broadway

Akihabara, the hub of Japan's otaku (geek) subculture, is a tad mainstream these days. Those in the know say the hardcore otaku are now buying their figurines and doujinshi (fan-made comics, often erotic) at Nakano Broadway. This multi-storey mall has shops selling cosplay outfits, animation cells, disturbing demon-sex cartoons and much more.

Got any more ideas for adventure in Tokyo? Have your say using the comments form below.

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