Flowers By Naked 2019

This year’s Flowers by Naked (at the same Coredo venue that hosts Art Aquarium during the summer) was better than last year but not as engaging as the first year I saw it. The art of projection mapped animation has taken such huge strides in three years that it kind of amazes me how wowed I wasContinue reading “Flowers By Naked 2019”

A Prickly Day At The Hedgehog Cafe

Turn down the volume on your squee-meter, unless you want to lose a little more of your hearing! Check out the little prickle monsters you can snuggle up with at Tokyo’s new Hedgehog Cafe… The reason it’s called the Harry Hedgehog Café is that these little animals are known as hari-nezumi in Japanese, which means (brace yourself for the most perfect name EVER)Continue reading “A Prickly Day At The Hedgehog Cafe”

Wading Through A Sea Of Stars & Flowers

It was the last day of the DMM Planets attraction out in Odaiba today, but if you missed your chance to roll up your pants & wade around in a cloud-like sea of flowers and goldfish with a kerbillion and a half other people, here’s what it was like: My favorite part of the thing, though, was the CrystalContinue reading “Wading Through A Sea Of Stars & Flowers”

The Waterfall Made Of Light

This waterfall made of animated LEDs is conveniently paired with a pop-up mojito stand, so you can ooh and ah at the light-up while getting lit up yourself. Which would you rather do: Enjoy the serenity of a cascading river while sipping a cocktail? Or swat mosquitoes while smearing on blister cream after a pesky hike? They look kind of pixellated in the still photo, soContinue reading “The Waterfall Made Of Light”

Because Who WOULDN’T Want A Cocktail Served In A Smoke-Filled Skull?

And that’s just the tip o’ the liquid nitrogen, flash-frozen iceberg at the Codename:Mixology bar! Because although no snozzberries were detected on the menu, this place definitely delivers the Willy Wonka of cocktails. One of the things I especially like about this bar is that most of the cocktails don’t knock you under the table, so you can try (or share) more than one. They’re prettyContinue reading “Because Who WOULDN’T Want A Cocktail Served In A Smoke-Filled Skull?”

Haunted Prison Restaurant? Yes, Please!

Do you even have to ask? Of course Tokyo has a restaurant where you get locked into a cell and made to drink cocktails with eyeballs in them! Every group gets their own private cell, and each seating features a monster show with live cast members roaming the prison. Food is fairly decent, with well-executed prison-themed names andContinue reading “Haunted Prison Restaurant? Yes, Please!”

Giant Faux White Herons

It’s not every day I nip out to the local shrine for a little photo taking and run into gaggle of women dressed as eight foot tall birds. Japan can be weird, but it’s not usually this weird! They were performing a thousand-year-old dance called Shirasagi no Mai, which means (unsurprisingly), White Heron Dance. It was originally performedContinue reading “Giant Faux White Herons”

Catch Your Own Noodles

Next time you hoist a brew over the sad story of the one that got away, nobody is going to believe it was a NOODLE. But if you want to snag a tasty bite of nagashi sōmen, that’s just what might happen when you try to scoop the slippery little dudes up with your chopsticksContinue reading “Catch Your Own Noodles”

Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant

I have to admit, until last week I’d never been to a restaurant where my waitress brought me an egg, set it on fire and turned it into a chicken. Apparently, when the waitress is a ninja, this is no big deal. A minor exertion, in fact, after conjuring up a drawbridge so we couldContinue reading “Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant”

Holiday Lights Just Don’t Get Any Better Than This!

Forget the plastic Santas and bobbing dwarves mistaken for elves – let’s skip right to the computer-choreographed field of lights that pulses and ripples to wintry electronic music! The display at Tokyo Midtown this year is jaw-droppingly spectacular, with shadowy shapes that flicker across the twinkly landscape like clouds passing in fast motion, punctuated byContinue reading “Holiday Lights Just Don’t Get Any Better Than This!”

King Of Tattoo Returns!

The King Of Tattoo ink-o-rama is going on all weekend here in Tokyo, and this year the artists and crowd were even more spectacular than last year’s extravaganza! Nearly all the attendees – both men and women – had art over more than 50% of their bodies, and a lot of it was of subject matterContinue reading “King Of Tattoo Returns!”

The Jellyfish & Shark Bar

Now you don’t have to trek to the aquarium in Ikebukuro to see your favorite wiggly and bite-y creatures of the deep – right next to Ebisu station is Medusa, where you can sip the beverage of your choice while being mesmerized by the glow! Additional entertainment may be had by perusing the Standard LiqueursContinue reading “The Jellyfish & Shark Bar”

Sit Down Stand Up

One day last fall, as I was walking through Yoyogi Park on my way to fall off the slackline, I saw this guy standing by a tree in a vaguely medieval-looking costume. In America I’d have hustled by, careful to make ZERO eye contact, sure he was either a member of a rabidly proselytizing religious cultContinue reading “Sit Down Stand Up”

Where To Get The Most Killer Profile Pix Ever

Follow the directions posted on the wall next to each life-size, optical illusion painting at the Trick Art Museum in Odaiba, and your life will instantly look way more exciting than it actually is! If you’d like to visit the Trick Art Museum in Odaiba the next time you’re in Tokyo, visit my website, The Tokyo Guide IContinue reading “Where To Get The Most Killer Profile Pix Ever”