STAR CAFE TOKYO: VISUAL KEI & HEAVY METAL JROCK BARS IN KABUKI-CHO, SHINJUKU. CURE MAGAZINE, POKEMON PILLOWS & TOYS.
Where am I? In a retro toy store with Luke of Chaos Royale? Not even close. We’re in Star Cafe, the Visual Kei bar in Kabuki-cho where spiky-haired groups like Anti-Feminism drink after playing a live. (For the record, they didn’t understand the meaning of the band name when they picked it…)
How typical of Japan… the cute and the hardcore, blended together seamlessly.
Naomi and I had a full day of shooting with Norway TV, but we still had energy left for an after-after-party. We decided on the vintage whiskey.
There’s a rack of Cure Magazines, so you can do shots while flipping through the pages.
Lolita rose headdress: gifted from My Velcroe by Emily Blong. (I wore it on the Norway TV shoot… more photos to come.)
Skull t-shirt: Super Lovers, from Closet Child
What’s the proper thing to do when a customer falls asleep at the bar? Take photos involving Cookie Monster and V-fingers, of course!
Star Cafe is well-stocked with alcohol and J-rock DVDs.
Mistress Maya, “Queen of Kabuki-cho,” comes here frequently.
Visual Kei band posters cover the walls, like in my bedroom.
STAR★CAFE is located at 2F 1-11-5 Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo.
How to get there: walk toward Studio ALTA from Shinjuku station (East exit). Cross the main avenue (Yasukuni Doori), walk in a front street (Kabuki-cho Ichibangai), and you will arrive at Shinjuku Koma Theater. Opens 11:00pm.
Want to see more photos from Tokyo Visual Kei bars? I visited Visual Kei Bar Zin, Fu-ki’s Bar Midian, and Osaka’s Moonwalk and Rock Rock.
What type of bars do you prefer? In addition to headbanger bars, I love retro/absinthe/burlesque establishments…
PS: come read my latest CNNGo article about 10 extremely extreme sports involving yaks, angry bulls and the North Korean border. Also, my CNN picks for best travel destinations in 2011. Sichuan, Himalayas, Bolivia and more.
Japanese Word of the Day: Sonzai = Existence or being
Song of the Day: Anti-Feminism – Tokage
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LA CARMINA
28 Comments
Oh noes! The cookies monster’s decapitated head.
Anti-Feminism, lol . It seems the Japanese like taking English words that sound cool even if doesn’t make sense. Which I first noticed when I read the sentence on a Sex Pot Revenge shirt I was given.
haha the list of twisted English I’ve seen in Japan would go on forever…
So many funny slogans and mistakes!
*adding to the list of bars I want to visit*
I’m almost afraid I won’t remember most of my trip to Japan XD
ahaha at least the drinks are not as strong in Tokyo… ;)
Ok, so this looks like the Japanese version of my favourite drinking establishments, I want to go. I just wish Japan was better about the late night transportation options (subways end just after last call in Toronto=stroke of genius), how bad is late night tokyo traffic? I am a very proficient drunk cyclist.
It’s terrible… the trains stop running around 1am and reopen at 5. So you have to stay out all night, unless you’re lucky to live close enough so you can walk/bike/cab back… At night, there’s not much traffic, thankfully.
OMG that place is amazing! i want one of that pillows (*^^*) i love your outfit!
Star Cafe is so much fun!
cute pillows! i have one like the pokemon one.
OMG look at the Dir en grey posters… *____*
Whaaa!!!! I wanna go >:0 rawr!
Cure magazine ♥
There’s a Cure magazine iPhone app !!!! >:D
♥♥♥ Thanks la La loving the outfit dear ♥
Oooh a Cure Mag iphone app?? Must get!
<3LOVE<3
that bar is like heaven *_* well I’m also like the japanese bars lol I like a lot to mix the cute and the hardcor together xD even my personality is just like that XD
Thanks for the info
PS: I want every cure there
That’s totally my aesthetic… cute meets spooky/Visual/Gothic :)
I am glad that it is still hidden in the streets of kabuki-cho. It started as a place for friends (Bandpeople and their fans) My favourite bar i go to since i went to japan for the first time. it´s near and not so expensive then other bars/clubs in that area. The decoration is just awesome, but be aware, i have seen several cockroaches there. If somebody does not speak any japanese it will make no sense to go there, even you find it. And it is very small. They have a ladies day and other specials on season. You can meet several bandguys from visual rock band there by random. On some days there is just 2-4 people. very private, and no windows XD.
Nice! I love Star Cafe. It’s for insiders only, and I like that. Have you been to Bar Zin or Gellonimo too?
ahh! I know Emily. she’s really sweet. so cool that you’re wearing one of her pieces! Colin is a super good family friend of mine too. Have you met Colin? He’s a total trip if you ever do….
Yay yay. I am wearing more of Emily’s pieces in the Norway TV show and upcoming blog posts! I havent’ met Colin… so many people I need to meet ahh!
cool
dude there should be something like that in the U.S.
Only in Japan..
This is amazing! :)
I love this place.
That’s a pretty cool bar too.
Jeez, is that what I look like after 5 hours of non-stop drinking!? That should be a warning for kids! Looking forward to catching up with you next month.
I’ve been wondering this for a while now but… around what age were you when you started getting into alternative fashions, and when you started wearing them?
And did your parents freak at it or are they cool? (You dont have to answer that if its too personal ><") I'm nearly 16 and my mom hates lolita, decora, fairy kei, etc… :(
I was around 14 or so… it wasn’t a problem because I was doing fine at school etc…