Tokyo’s Spectacles Museum, the Coolest Eyewear Store That Ever Was
For 50 Years, the Rogan Megane Hakubutsukan or Spectacles Museum in Ikeburo, was the most iconic place to go shopping for eyeglasses and sunglasses in all of Japan, probably the world. Located on the Higashi-dori shopping street in Minami-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, the Spectacles Museum was one of the most Instagram-worthy places in the Japanese capital. Although […]
The Genius Behind Japan’s New Transparent Public Toilets
Most people are apprehensive about using public restrooms as it is, so making them completely transparent would just boost their anxiety, right? Well, apparently, the exact opposite is true. Japanese public toilets generally have a higher standard of hygiene that other public restrooms around the world. I distinctly remember posting about Benjyo Soujer, a Tokyo […]
Japan Gets Its Very Own Whimsical Coloring Book Cafe
Tokyo’s Shin Obuko neighborhood recently became the home of what will undoubtedly become one of the most popular cafes in the Japanese capital – 2D Cafe, a place that lets you feel like you’re in a real-life illustration. Most likely inspired by the success of Cafe Yeonnam-dong 239-20, the Seoul-based cafe that went viral around […]
Recycling Tokyo Crows Build Their Nests Out of Coat Hangers
Crows are known to be highly intelligent birds, and it looks like they can now teach us a thing or two about recycling and stealing. The Asian Jungle Crow, a large-billed crow, actually builds its nest out of coat hangers that it steals from people’s homes! Crows make use of pretty much anything they find […]
Japanese Social Club Cleans Public Toilets as a Weekend Hobby
Most people would rather their bladder burst than walk into a public toilet to do their business, let alone to clean it, but the members of Tokyo social club Benjyo Soujer do it for free, with their bare hands, as a therapeutic hobby. On Sunday mornings, a group of 35 adults and children gather at public […]
Experience Space Travel in the Back of a Japanese Bus
Long bus tours can be pretty boring, but Japan’s Star Fighter buses are so incredibly cool they just don’t give you a chance to get bored. If you think they look impressive on the outside, wait until you see what’s in store for passengers inside. Going on a Tokyo bus tour usually gives tourists a […]
Tokyo’s Monk-Run Bar Mixes Cocktails with Buddhism
Who says booze and religion don’t mix? That’s certainly not the case at Vowz, a unique Tokyo bar run by two Buddhist monks who serve customers delicious cocktails, religious chants and sermons. There are over 10,000 bars in Tokyo, but none like the Vowz, in the city’s Yotsuya neighborhood. Opened by Japanese Buddhist monk Yoshinobu Fujioka, this […]
Would You Pay $600 a Month to Live in a Human Locker Room?
It’s no secret that Tokyo is one of the most crowded cities n the world. It’s also got some of the smallest apartments in the world, but a recent news program showed this whole housing problem is getting ridiculous. People are paying huge rents to live in coffin-sized apartments. Just looking at photos of these […]
Women-Only Sleeping Cafe Opens in Tokyo
Power naps – those short periods of sleep during the day – have been known to boost brain activity and increase productivity at the work place. Now a sleeping cafe in Tokyo’s Akasaka business district is offering hard-working Japanese women the chance to enjoy the benefits of the power nap, for a fee. Stress and fatigue […]
Japanese Restaurant Employs Masked Monkey Waiters
Are you running a restaurant and can’t afford to hire waiters? Well, you could take a cue from this Japanese restaurant that hired monkeys for the job. And in an attempt to make them look more human, they even strapped masks on their faces. Not that they really fooled anybody. The restaurant in question is […]
Coffee Won’t Keep You Awake at Tokyo’s Hypnosis Cafe Colors
Apart from a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the menu at the Tokyo Hypnosis Cafe Colors, in Shinjuku Golden Gai, also features some offbeat items, such as Trauma Erasure or Past Life Regression. Tokyo is known for its unique cafes, many of which have been featured on Oddity Central (Cuddle Cafe, Vampire Cafe, Hammock Cafe, etc.), […]
Overcrowded Japanese Subway Inspires Original Photo Series
Tokyo Compression is an ongoing photo series by German-born artist Michael Wolf that shows daily commuters with their faces pressed against the steamy windows of Japan’s overcrowded subway trains. Japan has one of the highest population densities in the world. Tokyo, its capital city, and the surrounding metropolitan area has a population of over 35 million, living […]
Bar Devoted to Female Self-Pleasuring Opens in Tokyo
If you’re a woman looking for a girls-only bar where you can talk about love and sex without any inhibitions, the Love Joule female self-pleasuring bar in Tokyo’s Shibuya entertainment district might be the perfect place. Japan is known for its wide array of weird bars and restaurants, so it should come as no surprise it now has […]
Really Hang-Out at Tokyo’s Hammock Cafe
Who needs chairs when you can just relax and have a cup of coffee or tea in a comfortable hammock, right? That was probably the idea behind Mahika Mano, a popular Tokyo venue, better known as the Hammock Cafe. Located in the Kichijoji district of Tokyo, a place renowned for its chill-out atmosphere, Mahika Mano fits […]
Tokyo’s Baby Café – Where the Cool Japanese Kids Hang-Out
Tokyo – probably the only city in the world where toddlers have their own hang-out spot, where no childless adults are allowed. Japan may have one of the lowest birth rates in the world, but that apparently only means the few babies that are born here are given everything – even their own exlclusive café. […]