|
The shop, a partnership with local restaurant
chain Pronto Corp, recently extended its run in the fashionable
Shibuya district of Tokyo several months amid overwhelming
demand. "Stranger Things" has remained one of the streamer's top
10 shows in Japan since the release of its fourth season in May.
The interior has replicas of shops and sets from the show, set
in fictional U.S. town of Hawkins, Indiana, along with its
dark-mirror underworld that the pre-teen protagonists call the
"Upside Down."
Patrons can take pictures next to the drama's signature
Demogorgon monster while songs from the show, such as Kate
Bush's "Running Up That Hill," play in the background.
Diners can nosh on food inspired by the show, such as squid-ink
pasta arranged like the monster's head or the waffles craved by
the psychically powered star character, Eleven.
To reduce the risk spreading COVID-19, now battering Japan in
record infections, the cafe requires visitors to make a
reservation and only about 20 are allowed inside every hour.
"Every day at midnight, I have been trying to book a table on my
phone," said 29-year-old mother Kimiko Nakae. "Finally there's
an opening today because someone had cancelled the reservation."
Tokyo has a long tradition of themed restaurants and cafes,
featuring everything from ninja waiters and exotic animals to
vampire-inspired cuisine.
But like many tourist-oriented businesses, the sector has been
hard hit by the pandemic. The Lockup, a chain of haunted prison
eateries, ended a 23-year run when its final location closed
last month, joining the fate of the famous Robot Restaurant, a
gaudy music and dance spectacle in the red-light district of
Kabukicho that closed in March 2020.
(Reporting by Irene Wang and Rocky Swift; Editing by William
Mallard)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.]
|
|
