Just when you think traveling abroad and experiencing a new civilization is a big enough of a culture shock, the Japanese whip out some new trick.  Behold, the themed restaurant.  The article is a bit dated, but I can testify that many of these places still are out there, waiting for you to become an active participant in your meal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/nov/27/tokyo-theme-restaurants-japan-food

Alcatraz ER for all your prison dining needs...

My personal favorite is Alcatraz-ER.  The restaurant wraps around the second floor of a building tucked into a Shibuya back alley.  You go up the elevator only to be welcomed by noises considerably more intense than your typical haunted house.  If it had been open at the time I went, I have a feeling I’d have no choice but to go inside and be pleasantly terrified throughout my meal.  As luck would have it, this particular restaurant sticks to its haunting theme and opens after the sun goes down.  I ran to an Irish pub down the road instead and felt safe with my fish and chips.

However, come late October, when the air is crisp and the leaves swirl, I will head back for a proper Halloween feast.  Also, hoping to hit #1 “Wizard of the Opera” soon too…looks like Disneyland for grown-ups!

For more fun travel tips and wierd places to eat out in Tokyo, take a look at http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo.  This is easily one of my favorite segments on CNN when I’m at work.  It gives some pretty good ideas of what to do where and has completely motivated me to travel to Singapore… not like that was going to be a challenge.

Stop in at the Vampire Cafe for a Bloody Mary

Another article outlining some of the crazy theme restaurants in the Tokyo area is this list of five: http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/wild-weird-and-scary-tokyos-5-strangest-theme-restaurants-426893  which features some like “Ninja” and “Arabian Rock,” which all sound as equally cooky and worth a stop in just to say you did. Have any experiences at these theme restaurants or any others? Drop us a comment and let us know how crazy it was!