Supervised by Tsuburaya Productions, this izakaya in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture is themed around the kaiju characters from the Ultraman series, which is soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016. As a pro-kaiju bar, the Ultraman heroes and defence team members are portrayed as the enemy.
Upon entering the bar, a sign proclaims all heroes and Earth defence team members are prohibited. We were promptly asked to put our hands in the mouth of the monster Jamilla on the wall, who detected whether we are friends of kaiju, before being taken to our seats.
The seating is divided into five different sections: Kaiju Area (counter seating), Alien Area (decorated with aliens and UFOs from ULTRA Q to ULTRAMAN LEO), the Land of Light & Earth War Laboratory (decorated with heroes' weapons and transformation items), Operations Rooms (private 2-seater booths), and the Monster Lawless Area (raised tatami seating for lots of people).
Of course everything on the menu is monster themed too, from the "Twin Tail Fry" (a fried shrimp decorated as the monster Twin Tail) to the beers which all arrive in specially decorated kaiju beer glasses (also available to purchase.)
We were also allowed to take some free souvenirs home, including our kaiju chopstick rests, coasters, and some collectors cards.
The Kaiju Sakaba is a temporary establishment which opened March 14th 2014 and will continue trading until March 2015. It's open every day of the year from 16:30 to midnight, with last orders for food at 23:00 and last orders for drinks at 23:30. It's a 1 minute walk from Kawasaki Station, Azalea East Exit No. 26. For more information, visit the official website: www.kaiju-sakaba.com. Address: Kawasaki-Higashiguchi Building B1F, 3-1 Ekimaehoncho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 210-0007
Come back for new episodes of SciFi JAPAN TV every Thursday. Next week, we visit the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka for a special screening of the new GODZILLA movie for the troops, with special guest Haruo Nakajima!
About SciFi JAPAN TV
A regular video program focusing exclusively on Japanese science fiction and monsters is something we've always wanted to see, but nothing like it has ever been available, neither in Japan nor overseas. So we decided to make it ourselves!
SciFi JAPAN TV is shot on location in Japan exclusively for SciFi Japan by the ACTV Japan production team. The show delves into the world of Japanese monsters and scifi, featuring the latest and hottest tokusatsu events in Japan, as well as simple yet in-depth discussions with the people who bring all of our favorite films and shows to life!
About ACTV Japan
Established 2005, with offices based in Shibuya, Tokyo, ACTV Japan offers video production and editing solutions to a host of clients both in Japan and abroad. ACTV Japan has and continues to serve a variety of clients from around the world, including: FOX International Channels, Universal Channel, Warner Bros, PBS, TV Asahi, Fuji Television, among many others. Check out www.actvjapan.com for more information.
