Tokyo, Japan Goth & metal bars! Alternative gothic bar guide, Guinea Pig Shinjuku address, Nanzuka Taken sci-fi Sorayama.
Tons of you enjoyed my guide to Tokyo Goth, metal and horror bars on IG — especially our fav, Guinea Pig — so let’s dive in deeper!
You’ll find my spooky crew at the following Japan Gothic alt haunts mostly in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. This isn’t a comprehensive list — our other favorite bars incude Godz, Bar Psy (music) and Caribbean (absinthe) in Shinjuku, Bar Tram (Ebisu) for specialty absinthe, and others previously featured on La Carmina Blog and IG @LaCarmina,
In this previous post, you can see my dispatches from Golden Gai’s Deathmatch in Hell, Roppongi’s Trick or Treat Halloween bar, cyberpunk apocalypse Neo-Shinjuku Atsushi, LGBTQ Eagle Blue, and more to round out this list!
Read on to be transported into the new Nanzuka Taken. It’s a Hajime Sorayama (sexy robots) meets HR Giger (alien horror) bar in Shinjuku that makes you feel as if you’ve been abducted by extraterrestrials and are floating in space!
(See our reel about our Nanzula Taken Sorayama bar visit.)
Our fav horror / alt / Tokyo Goth bar by far is Guinea Pig – a fetish gore-fest with animal fetuses in jars and bloody B movies on the screens!
Look out for facehuggers and decapitated heads everywhere…
Guinea Pig is not easy to find in Kabukicho, so heed the address: 2-41-2 Leo Kotobuki Building 3-A, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo
It’s not open every night. Look for the white classical-looking building with a staircase, and take the elevator to the third floor.
The shelves are fully of oddities like skulls and fetuses in jars. Ask for the grapefruit tequila cocktail, my personal fav, which washes down nicely with the free popcorn or snacks.
Guinea Pig has a bloody gory b-horror movie theme throughout.
Say hello to the live leech… There used to be a pet snake at Guinea Pig too!
Tourists tend go to the best-known Goth horror bars, like Death Match in Hell (in Golden Gai – details in this previous post). For a true subterranean Gothic experience, head to Ricky Bar: my friend’s Goth music hangout in Shimokitazawa every Wednesday night.
Info here about Ricky Bar in Shimo. He’ll play Goth, industrial and EDM tunes as he serves highballs, beers and snacks — it’s a regular spot for Tokyo’s Goths and bizarros to gather!
Although Shinjuku is full of tourists these days, it’s still ground zero for alt / hard rock / heavy metal bars. We love to stop by From Dusk Till Dawn, which has a retro horror theme.
Mori rocks a classic Gothic Lolita look in the streets of Kabukicho.
Details of their silver rings and Gothic cross jewelry.
With Lilith, Noveli and Yukiro at From Dusk Till Dawn. You can request heavy metal or hard rock songs, and drink umeshu (plum wine) on ice.
Cambiare is a Suspiria-themed little bar up a narrow set of stairs in Golden Gai, Shinjuku. Or it used to be… I sadly can’t recommend it in its current state of management. The Suspiria (Dario Argento 70s bloody supernatural horror) vibe has been papered over with random flyers, hip hop music blares, the drinks are bleh… It’s one of the many spots in Tokyo that was better back in the day, before the current over-tourism.
But there are under the radar places that still rock, like Bar Ame. Located in Shinjuku, it’s an artsy fortune teller cocktail hangout (and you can find Miffy bunny plushes and drawings throughout!)
And we found a new spaceship bar, which has yet to be discovered by tourists… Nanzuka Taken! Located in Shibuya, it’s a sci-fi space themed bar with robotos by Hajime Sorayama and dark art by HR Giger
The main table is glowing with a sexy silver robot lady by iconic artist Hajime Sorayama. (Remember we saw his exhibit in Shibuya last time?)
A must-visit for cybergoth aliens. Watch our reel about Nanzuka Taken to see these sleek projections in motion.
Everything is so shiny and chrime… you feel as if you’ve been teleported into the stars.
Drink whiskey cocktails while feeling like you’ve been abducted by aliens & are floating in space… now that’s a cybergoth sci-fi dream come true.
Tokyo used to have a H.R. Giger bar (like the Giger bar / museum I visited in Gruyeres, Switzerland) between 1989 and 1996 (the height of civilization!) While the Japan Giger themed bar is no more, there are some of his biomechanical works hanging on the walls of Nanzuka Taken.
Even the metal futuristic furniture is custom-made!
Sorayama’s glowing helmet in collab with F1’s Lewis Hamilton is on display.
Take me back to Nanzuka Taken, the Hajime Sorayama bar in Shibuya! (See our reel for a peek inside.)
I’ll leave you with a few more recent adventures from Japan. Have you heard of Japan’s Daruma Temple Katsuoji, in the outskirts of Osaka?
✨⛩️ It’s filled with cute red roly-poly dolls representing luck and perseverance (they’re the embodiment of “I get knocked down / But I get up again / You’re never gonna keep me down.”)
Joey Wong took these images of Katsuo-ji Temple, home to thousands of Japanese #daruma (which were invented in the 17th c, inspired by plump Buddhist monk Bodhidharma).
His travel tips: Take a 1 hour bus from Osaka, arrive around closing to avoid crowds, come in autumn for vibrant colors, collect stamps around the grounds for a neat postcard souvenir, and combine your visit with nearby Minoh Falls.
See all his images from Katsuo-ji Daruma Temple outside Osaka here on @lacarmina IG.
Have you been to a themed Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in Japan? There are many dedicated to foxes, onigiri and more… I even went to a hell temple in Osaka, pentagram temple in Kyoto, and two cat temples/shrines in Tokyo!
I wanted to close by sharing a special day with my Tokyo Goth friends at Yokohama Cemtery. Missing you, Kuroe Akiwake… can’t believe it’s been 2 years since our alien idol ascended to an alternate plane, to use her lexicon. (Grateful we got one final adventure at the Tokyo tarot museum and cafe.)
Our Tokyo Goth crew wanted to give Kuroe a send-off worthy of her passions and power (if you ever met her, you’ll know what I mean).
One of her final messages to me suggested a plan for when I was in Japan: “What if we paid a visit to Yamate in Yokohama, to look at the fancy foreign diplomat houses, and paid a visit to the “foreigners’ graveyard” there? It’s super goth and cool and I haven’t been there in like ten years. Maybe we could go in a group if people are free. We could take the scenic walk along Yamashita Park and Osambashi, too. Maybe eat some food in Chinatown.”
Life got busy and we didn’t end up making this happen. But last fall, my friends and I executed this day out in her honour – and as you can see, it was absolutely fabulous. (We were intriged by the freemason symbols we saw on the tombstones throughout Yokohama Foreigners Cemetery!)
See the full IG post and photos about how we honored Kuroe here.
We did a tarot card ritual together in her honor. (This is my cult-y Osho Zen Tarot deck.)
You’ve made such an impact on the people in your life, Kuroe, and we will always be with you.
What’s next in the cards? I’ll keep on keeping on… More Japan alternative Goth dispatches to come, as well as reports from my travels in Africa, Europe and Central Asia.
Find me on @LaCarmina Instagram, and comment if you have any questions about Tokyo Goth nightlife, subculture, parties — or anything at all!
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Speaking at TBEX Asia 2026 travel creators conference in Almaty, Kazkahstan! Uganda tourism, Egypt, Balkans & more.
Very nice news… I’m heading to Kazakhstan in August to speak at TBEX Asia 2026 conference! Honored to be invited to speak at the world’s leading conference for travel influencers / creators, industry experts, and influencers.
My TBEX Asia speaker’s announcement is now up on their site. “La Carmina will discuss how travel creators can leverage their platforms to write for legacy publications.”
Speaker Announcement: La Carmina. TBEX Asia 2026 | August 20–23 | Almaty, Kazakhstan
“From Digital to Traditional: Turning Your Travel Platform into Published Journalism”
You don’t need to start from scratch to write for major publications. You’re probably closer than you think. La Carmina shares how travel creators can translate their existing content, audience, and expertise into freelance writing opportunities with outlets like The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Travel + Leisure (see journalism portfolio.)
This session breaks down how to move from digital platforms into paid editorial work, without losing your voice or starting over.
In La Carmina’s TBEX Asia presentation, you’ll learn how to:
* Turn your existing blog and social content into a credible writing portfolio
* Position yourself as an expert that editors actually want to commission
* Find and respond to “call for pitches” opportunities
* Write pitches that get opened, read, and accepted
* Build relationships with editors, PR teams, and publications
* Negotiate rates, contracts, and repeat assignments
* Use legacy media to expand your income, network, and credibility
You’ll also get a candid look at why creators often have an edge in today’s media landscape, and how that advantage can lead to bigger partnerships, stronger positioning, and more diverse revenue streams.
Learn from La Carmina and other speakers in Almaty, Aug 20-23, at TBEX Asia – find out more info about the travel conference and register for the event here.
And that’s not the only place in my flight plans… I meant it when I said I was going to more offbeat places this year, in the spirit of my blue-haired days!
Between May and September, I’ll be in many new countries. First stop, Uganda: Honoured to be a guest of Uganda Tourism Board to discover their under the radar attractions (including safari & gorilla trekking!) and participate in POATE Pearl of Africa travel expo.
Then, a return to Egypt for the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum (how can I not see it!), plus the Pyramids and Sphinx again.
Finally, a Balkans boogaloo through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubrovnik Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania. Excited to explore many new countries and some returning favorites (such as the land of the Sphinx). If you have tips for any of these destinations, I’m all ears.
Last time, I was on a group trip with Yukiro that went to many Egyptian locations. This time, I’m excited to simply chill for a few days by the Pyramids, return to the Giza plateau, and spend all day in the GEM Grand Egyptian Museum. (See our 2019 Egypt posts here.)
With The Collapse accellerating, it’s getting increasingly difficult to travel internationally for reasons I’m sure I don’t need to list (the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are among them).
Fingers crossed that all goes well and we can bring back the bright, adventurous spirit of my blue-haired era! I want to focus more on far-flung, non-touristy places, and make memories with friends worldwide… despite the ever-increasing limits on what anyone can do in this irreversible omnicrisis.
Sharing some old pics (Rainbow Village in Taichung, Taiwan) from the before-times. Collapse is collapsing fast, so let’s “Yoko Ono Yolo” when we can — are you with me?
On that note, here is a new La Carmina interview for Luxe / Detour – and it’s long and eclectic one! Read if you’re interested in my thoughts on virtue signaling/cancel culture, “manning up” in India, ‘sush,’ the perils of microplastics, and The Collapse… as well as memories of OG travel blogging and TV show experiences worldwide.
Follow along these upcoming travels around Africa, Europe and Central Asia on @LaCarmina IG. I’ll continue to share Japan travel stories there as well, such as these images by Joey Wong from Katsuo-ji Daruma Temple outside Osaka (see all the pics of these roly-poly lucky dolls.)
More travel articles about Japan coming out soon too, on Thrilist Travel and other publications. You can see my travel and food journalism portfolio here.
And I hope you can join me in Almaty, Aug 20-23, for TBEX Asia (Travel Bloggers Exchange conference!) Find out more info on their site about the world’s largest gathering of travel content creators, bloggers, and industry professionals like destination marketing organizations.
This will be my first time ever in Central Asia — can’t wait to explore Kazakhstan and more, and share the journey with you. Comment if you have Kazakh travel tips, or if I’ll see you there!
LA CARMINA
