Japan 2015: Kawaii Monster Cafe

I don’t think I have ever been as giddy with excitement as I was when I stepped into the Kawaii Monster Cafe with my friend Adam on Saturday 5th December last year. I just couldn’t stop smiling and giggling. The Kawaii Monster Cafe was everything I hoped it would be! It’s a place like no other, and the only way I can describe it is to say it’s like Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka in the head of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Sweets Go Round

Mushroom Disco

Milk Stand

The Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku, Tokyo, is a collaboration between Art Director Sebastian Masuda, a pioneer of Japanese kawaii culture, and Diamond Dining. Masuda is also the founder of Harajuku’s 6%DOKIDOKI shop and has collaborated with J-pop star and fashion icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

When you enter the Kawaii Monster Cafe it is through the mouth of Mr Ten Thousand Chopsticks (Choppy) – a monster who is said to have ‘swallowed Harajuku’. Of course the cafe has a mascot – this is Japan!

Mr Ten Thousand Chopsticks (Choppy)

In the centre of the cafe stands the Sweets Go Round merry-go-round, and there are four sections guests can sit in. These are: Mushroom Disco, Milk Stand, Bar Experiment and Mel-Tea Room. We were shown to our seats in the Milk Stand, which features massive heads of rabbits, sheep and unicorns and lots of baby bottles hanging from the ceiling.

Milk Stand

Even though you’re sat in one area, you can freely get up and look around the other areas too.

Bar Experiment

Bar Experiment

Mel-Tea Room

Mel-Tea Room

Mel-Tea Room

Mushroom Disco

Milk Stand

Milk Stand

The menu is presented on a touchscreen device housed in an oversized plastic box. The food on offer isn’t bad. There are soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, snack food like chips and battered prawns, and a good selection of desserts. For a theme cafe I thought it was a pretty good selection, and what we ordered tasted good.

Touchscreen menu

‘Druggy Cocktail (Experiment)’

Popcorn shrimp with an artist’s palette of dips

Apart from the amazing decor, the highlight of the cafe for me is definitely the Monster Girls. There are five characters: Baby, Dolly, Candy, Nasty and Crazy (they’re like the Spice Girls, only waaaay better!). These girls wander about the cafe, posing for photographs and chatting with the customers, and they are gorgeous! I was utterly transfixed by their fashion and hairstyles!

Monster Girl ‘Crazy’ – kawaii!

Monster Girl ‘Crazy’ – she was so friendly and lovely!

Monster Girl ‘Baby’ – cute!

Monster Girl (Boy!) ‘Nasty’

I don’t know how often this happens or if it even happens every day, but whilst we were there we were lucky enough to see a sort of show by the Monster Girls. The lights went down and everyone just abandoned their tables and ran to the middle of the cafe to see what was going on. Being Japan, it was totally fine to just leave all your stuff and run off. 😉

The Monster Girls

The Kawaii Monster Cafe is the perfect place to mess around and take some crazy pictures! I wish I had dressed a bit more wildly on the day – I must remember to next time I go! (Yes, I will definitely be going back!)

Me & Adam with the Monster Girls

Selfie time with Nasty & Crazy

A gift from Nasty & Crazy

The Kawaii Monster Cafe is everything you would want from a trip to Harajuku! If you’re into kawaii culture and fashion, you should definitely check it out! This isn’t somewhere you go for the best food in Tokyo, and of course it is a little bit tacky, but my advice is to put those things aside and jump straight down the rabbit hole (or into the mouth of the monster)! Find out more here: Kawaii Monster Cafe. (*^_^)v