One of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo is the Robot Restaurant, which is located in Kabukicho area near Shinjuku Station. I personally usually find popular tourist attractions to be an underwhelming experience. I was therefore pleased to discover that the Robot Restaurant Tokyo actually lived up to their reputation and is an attraction that I can definitely recommend that visitors to Japan should actually visit!
The Robot Restaurant Show was a great and energetic experience, with lots of dancing, the robots and a great light show. We really enjoyed the show as it really is a great way to experience Japanese culture done in their own unique style.
Note that COVID19 has caused the Robot Restaurant to close, so ensure you check current status before making your booking
Note that our Robot Restaurant tickets were sponsored by Voyagin.
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Robot Restaurant Review
The Robot Restaurant burst into public attention in 2013 when Anthony Bourdain featured the crazy Tokyo Robot Cabaret Show attraction in his Parts Unknown TV series. As a uniquely Japanese experience the Robot Cafe Tokyo has since been one of the most popular attractions for visitors to Tokyo.
In our case, we were one of the few who did not visit during our first visit to Japan, probably as we had young children at the time. On our more recent Japan visit we were finally able to visit the Robot Restaurant as a family and we had a great evening out! Our Voyagin Robot Restaurant tickets were booked in for the 4pm entry, which included the pre-show lounge live show, with the main show to commence at 5.30pm and finish by 7pm.
Shinjuku Robot Restaurant Pre-Show and Lounge
The Robot Cabaret Tokyo pre-show is only available for the 4pm entry option, otherwise you get to visit the waiting area in the lounge on the upper floor where there is seating and an option to purchase drinks from the Robot Bar as well as to pre-order a bento box for dinner. You can also pre-order bento boxes, drink vouchers and popcorn when you book your tickets through Voyagin.
Of note is that the pre-show is not suitable for children as the dancer’s attire and dancing style was adult entertainment. The main Robot Show, however, is suitable for children.
Main Robot Show Tokyo
Once the main show room is ready in the basement level you are directed to descend the stairs into the room where you can find your allocated seat.
The seating is set up as rows of seating with tables on the two longer sides of the room, with 3 rows of stepped seating on each side. The front rows are very close to the action and enable you to be more interactive with the performers, while the rear rows enable you to have some height to view the whole show more easily. Our seats were in the rear row around half way along the row and we were very happy with our seating position.
If you have pre-ordered a bento box you will find it at your seat when you arrive. Additional Japanese style fast food and drink options are available from mobile carts on the main show floor both before the show and during the intermission.
After getting settled, we were pleased that they offered headphones for children which reduced the sound level. Our youngest son (age 10) is sensitive to sound so this option enabled him to better enjoy the Robot Show Japan. You are also recommended to bring your own earplugs for your children. Note that children aged 0-3 years old can sit on their parent’s lap, older children require their own seat and ticket.
We then sat back to enjoy the show! The Robot Show Shinjuku was very energetic, with a lot of lights and loud accompanying music. We had a great time! The sequence of performances are as follows, with three sections. At the end of each section there was a short break where you could purchase food and drinks and visit the golden bathrooms.
Section 1: Taiko Drumming Show, Torii Gate Song and Dragon Drumming
The Taiko Drumming segment was awesome and a great demonstration of a modern take on taiko drumming. We had just participated in a taiko drumming lesson only a few days before so we had a good appreciation of the effort involved. The drumming was fast paced and energetic and a great start to the show!
Section 2: Robots versus Humans Fight
The second segment was all about Robots fighting against Humans. The robots were amazing, the actors put on a great show and everyone loved the show!
Section 3: Light Dancing, Robots Dancing, Light Sticks and Animal Parade (finale)
The final segment kicked off with the light dancing show which was awesome and wrapped up with the finale parade which was utterly crazy and lots of fun.
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Join the Japan Travel Planning Facebook Group or Discord Server
You are also welcome to join our Japan Travel Planning Facebook Group and our Japan Travel Planning Discord Server – they are great resources to enable you to ask questions about your upcoming trip to Japan!
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
