Strange restaurants in Japan you have to see to believe

Japan is known for being a wonderful mix of modern and historic, of traditional and new and sophisticated and downright wacky. If you are visiting Japan, and want to discover some of the most weird and wonderful places while you’re there, take a look at some of the strangest restaurants that the country has to offer.

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1. The Lock Up

If your idea of a nice night out is being handcuffed and having a meal behind bars then The Lock Up is the place for you. The Shibuya and Shinjuku restaurants have their guests locked up behind bars before they can enjoy their meal.

2. Zauo

Fancy spending the night out at sea, but worry about get the case of seasickness? Then Zauo is the perfect restaurant for you. Patrons are seated in a boat in the middle of the room which is surrounded by water and then have to catch the fish that surrounds them before it’s cooked for dinner.

3. Ogori Café

Indecisive diners, or those of you who just love a surprise, Ogori Café is a restaurant with a difference. Instead of just ordering your meal, you receive the meal that the person before you ordered. You go up and place your order, but then that meal goes to the person after you in the line. It’s not the type of place that you’d go to for lunch every day, but it is a bit of fun.

4. Vampire Café

Skulls, coffins, candles and the colour red are all featured in this spooky restaurant. And if that wasn’t enough to give you the creeps the waiters, dressed in maid outfits and tuxedos, bring out the food in coffin-shaped bowls with edible crucifixes.

5. Kyushokutoban

Meaning “school lunch duty” in Japanese, Kyushokutoban is a restaurant that tugs at the local heartstrings. People in Japan have good memories about their school lunches and so restaurants have been created so people can enjoy them no matter what age they are. Restaurant staff dress up in school uniforms and serve food on metal trays, just like they do in schools.

Have you visited any strange restaurants in Japan? Let us know what you thought about them in the comments section below.