We continue a regular column from Bolton lass Danielle Hayes who lives in Japan. She was born in Bromley Cross and attended Turton High School – class of 2008. She now lives in the beautiful city of Kyoto and spends her days teaching English, writing, and exploring!

YOU may have seen in recent news, that Tokyo has just opened up a Naked Cafe! And while naked diners is not a common sight in Japan, themed cafes and restaurants are. All over Japan, you can find unique dining experiences with everything from cats, vampires, monsters, and even reptiles. Here are some of my favourites.

Animal Cafes

Probably the most famous, are Cat Cafes. We even have a few in England now too — that’s how popular they have become! But it doesn’t stop there. You can even enjoy a drink or two with owls, reptiles, dogs, penguins, goats, rabbits, and hedgehogs! The Japanese really do love an animal cafe, that’s for sure. At these cafes, you pay a fee for a set amount of time (usually an hour), and one drink. In some, like the cat, dog, and rabbit cafes, the animals wander around freely in the room, and you can pet them, play with them, or just watch. With others, there will be staff there to place the animals on you (owls and reptiles), or the animals just kick back and relax in their own space (goats and penguins) while you enjoy your drink nearby.

Haunted Prison Restaurant

This one is so much fun! Located all over Japan are haunted prison themed restaurants. When you come through the door, you are handcuffed and escorted to your ‘cell’ by one of the prison officers. The food and drinks are all themed too; you can order cocktails with floating eyeballs in them, and dishes made to look like human parts! The best part is when the crazy inmates ghosts appear and terrorise the restaurant. The lights go out, and the ‘ghosts’ run around, jumping into cells to scare people! A great laugh, even if the food is a bit strange!

Kawaii Monster Cafe

This place is fairly new, but already extremely popular. Located in the heart of Shibuya, right next to the world famous Harajuku. The cafe is decorated in typical Harajuku style – bright, colourful, and crazy! The concept of the cafe is described as being the monster of Harajuku, engulfing fashion and people – crazy! The food is also wildly colourful, and the staff are all ‘monsters’ dressed in typical Harajuku style!

With the introduction of Cat Cafes in England, could these themed restaurants be close behind? I hope so – because they make for a great night out!