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Zoey Zhang

Themed food and drink outlets are hardly something new, but Japan is still ahead of the rest when it comes to strangeness.
However, as is often the case, lifestyle trends in Japan regularly find their way to China.
The Post takes a closer look at some of the themed bars and restaurants in the two countries.
Vampire vibes
The Vampire Cafe in Tokyo includes a Dracula VIP room with Gothic decor featuring skulls, thorns, curses, and blood.

Staff in tailcoats and French maid outfits, wearing ghastly makeup complete the picture.
A coffin-shaped menu offers a roast chicken dish dubbed “The rebel’s punishment, death by fire”.
Lab bar
Tokyo’s Science Bar Incubator is decked out like a biology lab with beakers, alcohol lamps, and test tubes.
Customers are required to wear white lab coats when they enter.

The manager is a biology researcher who wanted to create a place for academic exchanges.
Drinks are served in test tubes, meals come in laboratory glassware and there is litmus paper to test the acidity of the food.
The bar also offers “DNA fortune-telling” which predicts the fate of diners by taking skin samples and testing them using proper laboratory equipment.
The laboratory-themed bar concept is being widely replicated in China.
Ninja nights
Ninjas are an important cultural symbol in Japan and were active in real-life espionage between the 15th and 19th centuries.
With more than a nod to history, the Ninja Tokyo restaurant recreates an ancient ninja village.
A sign at the entrance reads, “Ninjas are in training, please press the button on the sword for assistance.”

At this point a ninja server jumps out to greet customers.
Diners are treated to ninja techniques, such as smoke emerging when a sword is drawn from under a serving plate. Master ninjas also perform magic.
Prison fare
A prison-themed restaurant in Tokyo combines the feel of a jail and a hospital.
Customers are greeted by waitresses dressed as nurses who place removable handcuffs on them.
They can eat in areas resembling a prison cell, operating room, or morgue.
To place an order, customers use their handcuffs to knock on the door to attract the attention of servers.

On offer are soft drinks served in head-shaped bowls and jelly served on sanitary pads to mimic the harshness of a prison environment.
Cosplaying prisoners are also on hand to scare people.
Alcohol studies
China is not being left behind as evidenced by an academic-themed bar in Shanghai.
DJs play electronic music while giving sociology lectures in conjunction with a projector relaying sociological topics.
Cocktails and coffee drinks are named after academic theories.
Beijing is also home to an outdoor philosophy-themed bar.
One of its bosses, Zhang Jianing, told the Beijing Youth Daily: “After a few drinks, engaging in philosophical discussions in a laid-back atmosphere makes conversations flow more freely.”


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Trending in China

Japan appetite for themed outlets from vampire bars to ninja restaurants spreads to China

The Post takes a look at some of the strange themed bars and restaurants in Japan and China. Photo: SCMP composite/Xiaohongshu

 Dining with Dracula: this vampire-themed cafe in Tokyo is scary. Photo: Xiaohongshu

Staff use laboratory glassware in a science-themed bar in China. Photo: Xiaohongshu

Ninja Tokyo feeds customers while serving up history lessons and surprises. Photo: Ninja Tokyo restaurant

Caged cuisine: a jail-themed restaurant in Tokyo serves its patrons in prison cells. Photo: Prison restaurant

Thieving China law graduate swipes US$4,200 in temple donations by switching QR codes

A law graduate in China has confessed to stealing donations from Buddhist temples across the west of the country. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu/The Paper

Surveillance footage shows the man approaching a temple donations box. Photo: Weibo/The Paper

The man confessed to stealing from a number of Buddhist temples. Photo: Weibo/The Paper

Disgraced China kung fu master re-emerges as ‘godfather of nightclubs’ performing ‘lightning’ moves

A disgraced kung fu master in China is back on the road again as a nightclub performer. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Fake kung fu master Ma is strutting his stuff in nightclubs across China. Photo: Douyin

Ma says he has put the past behind him and is now leading a peaceful life. Photo: Douyin

China ‘sleepmakers’ for hire as youth of nation seek whimsical story cure for insomnia

Young people in China who are struggling to nod off at night are turning to so-called professional sleepmakers for help. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

One sleepmaker known as “Sevenseven7,” above, has gained popularity for her imaginative bedtime stories, creating a calming atmosphere that helps listeners relax and drift off to sleep. Photo: Douyin 

Sleep, or the lack of it, is a growing problem among China’s hard-working youth. Photo: Shutterstock

China family feud locks son and parents in struggle to send each other to mental hospital

A feuding son and his parents in China have been locked in a bitter struggle to have each other admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Mo claims he was pumped full of drugs and tied to a bed in a psychiatric hospital. Photo: Shutterstock

Cases of people being incorrectly sent to psychiatric institutions are not uncommon in China. Photo: Shutterstock

Taiwan wife charges ‘too fat’ husband fee for sex, court grants him divorce

A husband in Taiwan has filed for divorce after his wife demanded he pay her a fee each time they had sex. Photo: Shutterstock

The couple have been experiencing marital difficulties for years. Photo: Shutterstock

Taichung city in Taiwan. The island has one of the highest divorce rates in Asia. Photo: Shutterstock

News

People & Culture

Themed entertainment venues are big in Japan and the passion for places with a concept is catching on


The Post runs the rule over some of Japan’s, and increasingly China’s, most wacky themed bars and restaurants.


Viral stories

Japan

Japan appetite for themed outlets from vampire bars to ninja restaurants spreads to China

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Themed entertainment venues are big in Japan and the passion for places with a concept is catching on

Vampire vibes

Lab bar

Themed entertainment venues are big in Japan and the passion for places with a concept is catching on