When we talk about East Asian countries like Japan and Korea, an energetic vibrant young image just pops up. From culture like anime/manga, to people like PSY or the trending BTS, the ‘Kawaii’ aesthetics always indulge the world’s every whim!
#CUTENESSOVERLOAD
Kawaii Monster Cafe, Tokyo
The cafe is located in the origin of ‘Kawaii’ culture, Harajuku. With ornaments under a fantasy theme, the cafe is divided into 4 zones: Mushroom Disco, Milk Stand, Bar Experiment, Mel-tea Room; with a huge merry go round in between.
All the waitress are dressed up in lolita/something like a cosplayer, with a impactful wig. They have to perform and they must remain super hyper to deliver their character settings. (respect!)
I didn’t make a special request of where I want to sit, and they kind of gathered people to the same zone for their ease of management. This is the mushroom zone I guess.
If you want to stay in a quiet zone, just sit away from the merry go round. Coz when there are events or birthdays of customers, all the monster girls (that’s how they call the waitress) come out and dance around the carousel.
I ordered a colorful spaghetti and a drink. The spaghetti is called ‘Colorful Rainbow Pasta‘, it’s a spaghetti in several colors, with 5 different sauce in different colors. Not bad, but the portion is too small, and it’s hard to find the difference between the sauce except for the spicy ones. The drinks are the most ‘normal’ thing in the cafe, coz yea there are too many fancy drinks out there! A well expected sweet artificial taste I would say.
I was really surprised by the dessert. It’s called ‘Colorful Poison Parfait‘. Despite its stunning outlook, it doesn’t taste like a mixture of food additives. I think they really custom-made each of the ice-cream, or they got really good-quality ones. Each color within the dessert has its own taste of fruit, me and my friend were happily guessing all of that. It’s 2300 yen, ~20 USD, very expensive but it’s huge!
A stamp will be given upon each visit, and you can get a free gift after you complete all the zones.
Remember to go in daytime.
It turns into a normal dinner place at night. Check before u go:)
Tenmonkan Mujaki, Kagoshima
Kagoshima is the southest city in Japan, except Okinawa. It’s not a metropolitan city, but the dessert ‘Shirokuma” is a long lasting national super-hit.
The name Tenmonkan came from the name of the street, and the company has an entire building which contains 4 different styled restaurants – grill, dessert & light snacks only cafe, western and traditional Japanese.
I chose the traditional restaurant on the 4th floor, had to store my shoes at the entrance.
A very traditional tatami set. You can order hot pot + shirokuma set, very cheap, less than 25 USD.
This is Shirokuma (original flavour)! Unlike shaved ice/sorbet, the ice is very milky. According to the homepage, it’s all about the secret milk & syrup recipe. For the decorations, there are fruits, jellies, raisins, Japanese cake and Japanese marinated beans. There are a lot more variations of Shirokuma, but the original flavor was the best among me and my friends’. If you can’t eat much, you can order a smaller size, the normal is bigger than a coconut.
Remember to take a picture with the mascot Shirokuma. ‘Shirokuma’ means white bear in Japanese.
Caffe Yam, Seoul
Caffe Yam is in Hongdae, the popular Hongik University area packed with young people. This cafe is just one of the millions fancy cafes around, not very outstanding, so there’s a chance you can find a seat 🙂
The cafe is small, so it’s pretty crowded, if you have a chance, take the window seats with rocking chairs. Looking at the youngsters in Hongdae street, rocking while studying their fashion.
The theme of the cafe is fairy tales! Super girly, with ponies, unicorns and mermaids. There are costumes and different props for you to take your instagram picture, free of charge.
Sweet Paradise, Japan
Sweet Paradise is a national chain dessert cafe. All with different themes, or sometimes collaboration with anime/characters/festivals…
Every teenager in Japan knows Sweet Paradise, coz of the price.
1320 yen (ard 12 USD), all you can eat, all you can drink.
There are a few kind of pasta, rice and tons of cakes, dessert and drinks to pick from.
A word to conclude…
Many of Japan and Korea cafes are full of colors and gimmick. They prioritize ‘visual impact’ and ‘social media sharing’ over relaxation. If you want to read a book, maybe you have to pick wise. Is it a bad thing? I would say it’s a NO, you can get vitalized from the young vibrant power!
Norms & Weirdos 