Offbeat Japan News

Deck the boss in cosplay folly for a good old Christmas roast
Cosplay pubs where the staff -- and occasionally customers -- get decked out in fancy dress while they booze are becoming all the rage among Japan's salarymen, according to Shukan Post (11/16).

Cosplay pubs are attracting the limelight as we draw toward the Year End Party season, and those assigned with arranging the typically odious task of organizing the gatherings are looking for added spark to avoid the tedium most associate with corporate get-togethers.

Enikai Ai Inn in Tokyo's salaryman haven of Shinbashi is like any other pub, with its menu of all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue meals at 5,000 yen for two hours, but where it differs from the rest is in offering its customers the chance to rent fancy dress costumes so they can cosplay while dining.

The restaurant has over 50 different costumes for men and women, including school uniforms, superhero suits, airline stewardess outfits and cheerleader gear.

"Just getting dressed up puts life into any party," a store employee tells Shukan Post. "We'll meet with party organizers and arrange games or dances or whatever to make sure people don't get bored. We have people looking reluctant come in the door, then spend hours dancing away once we've put them into a costume. It's quite common to dress up managers as Stupid Lords and have them dance around the office ladies while they mock him."

Dressing up at the Fushigi-tei in the capital's Uchikanda district is left to the staff, but there are fun and games in the menu to make it a treat for parties. Of note is its Russian Sushi, which at first glance appears to be like any other plate of the national dish. But, just like the lone bullet in Russian Roulette, each plate of Russian Sushi contains one bit of raw fish and rice loaded with copious amounts of wasabi designed to send a sinus-searing jolt up through the nose of the unfortunate who consumes it. And the restaurant also manages to garner giggles with its Titty Tofu, two well-rounded servings of bean curd topped with strategically placed plums so the dish resembles a set of breasts.

Providing novelty for the average salaryman is Otomeita, where cosplaying young women tread on the traditionally male-dominated world of sushi chefs and prepare the raw fish dish.

Still in Tokyo, Koakuma no En, Little BSD decks out its waitresses in devil or Shinto shrine maiden outfits, and will also serve a cocktail laced with Tabasco sauce for practical joking partygoers.

Also favoring the Shinto shrine maiden looks are Nagoya pubs Sakura and Gatten.

OL Shabu Shabu Shomuni in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, meanwhile, is a cosplay pub with a difference. Female workers come into the restaurant dressed in regular office outfits, then change into fancy dress outfits right before diners' eyes.

"Of course you get a glimpse of their underwear while they're changing," the pub's owner tells Shukan Post, adding that touching the waitresses is strictly forbidden.

Essayist Fuyuki Sakai says the rising popularity of cosplay pubs lies in their social acceptability compared to alternatives.

"For salarymen sick and tired of all the stress involved with getting along with others in the workplace, cosplay pubs are almost like an amusement park," he tells Shukan Post. "They aren't as geekish as the maid cafes the otaku like to go to, and they're not as expensive to have a good time at as a nightclub with hostesses can be." (By Ryann Connell)