Themed restaurants are nothing new, but Japan still leads the way when it comes to oddities.
But as is so often the case, lifestyle trends from 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 mood
The Vampire Café in Tokyo features a Dracula VIP room with gothic decor filled with skulls, thorns, curses and blood.
Staff in tailcoats and French maid costumes as well as horrific make-up complete the picture.
On a coffin-shaped menu is a roast chicken dish entitled “The Rebel’s Punishment, Death by Fire.”
Laboratory bar
The Science Bar Incubator in Tokyo is equipped like a biology laboratory with beakers, alcohol lamps and test tubes.
Customers are required to wear a white lab coat upon entry.
The manager is a biology researcher who wanted to create a place for academic exchange.
Drinks are served in test tubes, meals are served in laboratory glassware, and there is litmus paper to test the acidity of foods.
The bar also offers “DNA fortune telling,” which involves predicting the fate of guests by taking skin samples and examining them using appropriate laboratory equipment.
Ninja Nights
Ninjas are an important cultural symbol in Japan and were active as real spies between 1603 and 1868.
The Ninja Tokyo restaurant is more than just a nod to history: it recreates an ancient ninja village.
A sign at the entrance reads: “Ninjas training, please press the button on the sword for help.”
At this point, a ninja server jumps out to greet the customers.
Guests are shown ninja techniques, such as smoke rising when a sword is pulled out from under a serving plate. Ninja masters can also perform magic.
Prison food
A prison-themed restaurant in Tokyo combines the atmosphere of a prison and a hospital.
Customers are greeted by waitresses dressed as nurses who put removable handcuffs on them.
You can eat in areas that resemble a cell, an operating room, or a morgue.
To place an order, customers knock on the door with their handcuffs to attract the attention of the waiters.
Soft drinks are offered in head-shaped bowls and jelly on sanitary towels to mimic the harshness of the prison environment.
Prisoners in costumes are also on site to scare people.
Alcohol studies
A bar in Shanghai with an academic flair proves that China is not being left behind.
DJs play electronic music while giving sociology lectures and conveying sociological topics via a projector.
Cocktails and coffee drinks are named after academic theories.
There is also an open-air bar with a philosophy theme in Beijing.
One of their bosses, Zhang Jianing, told the Beijing Youth Daily: “After a few drinks, philosophical discussions can be conducted more freely in a relaxed atmosphere.”
