We were tempted to go in but it didn’t look like the kind of place our two young’uns would have liked so we gave it a miss. Went to a place not far from there that looked like a ‘Mario’ themed cafe. Well, when we got inside we were greeted by sexy Mario assistants who had us seated before we knew what was going on. It was a cafe, but not as we knew it. They made us say ‘Moi Moi’ and make a funny hand gesture when our food came out. What was most interesting was that we were the only family in there and every other table was occupied by a single bloke and a sexy waitress. Turns out it was one of those places lonely guys go to to pay a girl to sit with them for company. Kids thought it was great.
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Ha, ha. Yes, it is the world’s capital of quirkiness. The place you visited was a ‘maid cafe’ with a Mario theme. These cafes originated in the Akihabara part of Tokyo and were originally targetted at the large number of ‘otaku’ (manga geeks), but have become mainstream now. I have visited once, but it wasn’t my scene. They greet you at the entrance with a ‘Welcome home, Master’. They usually serve crappy food. Great to hear that your kids enjoyed themselves. You have just given me an idea for my little boy. Cheers. Trust the rest of your trip to Japan was enjoyable. I have been here for almost 15 years now.
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this was just across the road from our place in Honkers
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You’re there now? Giddeeup! We’re coming over again in January although we’re only transiting through Tokyo whilst on the way to Sapporo this time. If Tokyo isn’t the greatest place on Earth it’s in the top 3. What do you do there?
You’ve won the thread.
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I bet you are heading to Niseko for the snow? I visited Sapporo/ Hokkaido a couple of years ago with the family. Had an amazing time. Sapporo Beer factory (all-you-can-eat lamb and all-you-can-drink Sapporo beer), sushi joints along the Otaru Canal, the freshest seafood at the Nijo fish market in Sapporo, great whiskey at Nikka Whisky. The little fella enjoyed the snow as well. Onsens are also great at that time of the year.
Lived in Tokyo for many years, but am now based in the hills of Kamakura. Close to the sea, 800-year-old Zen Buddhist temples behind my home, have an old house with two spare Japanese style tatami mat guest rooms. Am planning on opening up one of the rooms next year on AirBnB. We love it here. Less than 30 mins to Yokohama and less than a hour to Tokyo (by train). Run my own business (management consulting/ training, etc). Have also written a couple of books. Play the stockmarket. Just the usual stuff. Have a brilliant time in Hokkaido. 
You bet we will.
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There is a local septic tank company here in the Marsh, called the Turd Burglar
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How much ‘closer’?
'xpect so…
I looked down a little further and gathered that although it was about poosy grooming, it wasn’t the sort of poosy grooming I originally had in mind.
There is not.
Don’t make a spectacle of yourself, like the optician who fell into his lens-grinding machine.
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A dog training business down near Mornington called Sit Happens. Pretty clever I reckon…
Always liked Ichi Ni in St Kilda.
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Up there with this one that never made it
Yes it is supposed to be plural
Yep, always been my favourite.
Used to be a tradition for me. Go to Springvale, get Dumplings, and then laugh like a child about Phuc Dat Butcher.
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