There is a buzz about Tokyo here in the office, with our designers taking off to Japan in a few weeks. Tokyo looks like a fascinating city to discover and I have done my research to uncover the top 10 places for our designers to visit. For the rest of our team, we will be dying from anticipation to see what kitschy, quirky Japanese gifts they will be returning for us!
1. Visit a Maid cafe - Cosplay restaurants are themed restaurants and pubs where the staff dress as maids or butlers. The service at a cosplay restaraunt involves the creation of an unusual atmosphere as the staff treat their customers as masters or mistresses rather than usual cafe customers. Hmmmm, sounds interesting?
2. Visit a love hotel - A short time stay hotel with themed rooms. A Hello Kitty themed S&M Room, anyone?
3. Visit a Neko Cafe - Get ready for romper room, feline fun! A neko cafe is simply a petting zoo/coffee house, where you can relax with a drink whilst be surrounded by a dozen cats. Sounds dreamy!
4.Visit Harajuku - for an amazing shopping experience, and also for its famous Harajuku girls and Harajuku fashion
5. Visit Odaiba - Tokyo's man created island. Whilst your there, visit Sega's Joypolis virtual amusement park, or the Venus Fort, which is something like Vegas, or rent a super cute puppy by the hour at 'Puppy the World"
6. Visit a 100 yen store - giving you a wide range of items for 100 yen. From kitsch to stationary and homewares. Find gifts for your Kustom workmates, at a 100 yen store!
7.Walk around Koenji - to find used records and unusual vintage finds.
8 .Visit a Japanese Baseball Game - and join 50,000 crazed baseball fans cheer along to their favourite team!
9. Visit the Alcatraz restaurant - another themed restaurant with a 'Medical Prison" theme! Visit the website for an idea of what it is all about : http://alcatraz.hy-system.com/index.html
10. Visit Yoyogi park - with a bento box ( japanese lunch box) and a few beers and watch the weird and wonderful local teenagers hang out. They are decked in goth gear, make up, wigs.. its a sight to be seen, Also check out the local rockabillys, break dancers and young bands!
