Shopping Guide
In Japan, Taiwan, and China, it’s general knowledge that Animate is a shop for anime goods. However, did you know that they also run a cafe?
For a closer look, we visited Animate Cafe Ikebukuro. Every day, there is a collaboration going on with an anime or game, and customers are able to enjoy the collaboration space, food, and services of the cafe. Since the collaboration changes every month, the cafe is more like a theme park, offering customers a different experience each time they visit. Well then, let’s take a close look at just what kind of place Animate Cafe is.
When we went to the cafe, a collaboration with Uta no Prince-sama: Maji Love 1000% was ongoing, and as we entered the cafe, we were first greeted by cardboard cutouts of characters from the series. Being greeted by their favorite characters will make fans feel like they were invited to their home. Even just entering the cafe will result in a sudden increase in fans’ enjoyment.
A female staff member then showed us to our seats, and before we sat down we took a “table photo.” The tablecloth was covered in characters, with each table featuring a print of different characters. Which table they will be seated at and what character design their table will have is sure to be of interest to female fans. After the photo op, we took our seats and were handed menus. As we gazed at the selection, our eyes were bombarded with delicious looking food themed after each character, including pastas, salads, desserts, and more. Needless to say, there was a lot to choose from. Fans will enjoy ordering food themed after their favorite characters and trying food they’ve never ordered before on their next visit. Of course, the menu also included drinks themed after characters as well.
Fans can also enjoy chatting with friends until their ordered food and drinks arrive. Those unsatisfied with just talking can enjoy the items displayed throughout the cafe, buy character goods at the cafe’s shop, write a comment on provided notes professing their love for their favorite characters, and more.
The cafe is also a fun place for those who come alone. Screens set up in the cafe were even playing live performances by the cool voice stars who play the characters in the series, making the wait for our food that much more enjoyable.
In the middle of that enjoyment, our character-themed food finally arrived at our table! We thoroughly enjoyed every last bit of the feast laid before us before any of it had a chance to cool!
We then had the chance to ask Koyama from Animate about the deliciousness of the food, to which he responded, “We are constantly thinking about tastes and appearances of the food that would appeal to a female audience while not making the food deceiving. From here on as well, we will try our best to make Animate Cafe an enjoyable space with delicious food.”
Animate Cafe is a great place in which you can enjoy tasty food and a space filled with everything anime for just 1,000 yen. However, the cafe is so popular, you might not be able to get in without a reservation. Though, you may get lucky on a weekday and be able to get in without one. In order to make a reservation, you will need to register for the free Animate Card. If you happen to visit Animate Ikebukuro or Animate Sunshine, make sure to visit this cafe.
Animate Cafe Ikebukuro Map (3F):
http://goo.gl/maps/wTFRl
Animate Cafe Ikebukuro Homepage:
http://www.animate.co.jp/special/cafe/pc/ikebukuro/ (Japanese)
