Wednesday, August 15, 2012

KAIJU-YA: Shibuya's Hidden Tokusatsu Bar

The entrance to Kaiju-ya, a cool tokusatsu-themed bar just outside of Shibuya Station.

What can I say? Since no one else is covering these cool places that Godzilla fans can visit in Japan, I might as well pick up the baton. Veteran Tsuburaya Productions suit actor Toshio Miyake owns a restaurant/bar just outside of Shibuya Station called Kaiju-ya, and when you're in the area, any self-respecting kaiju fan ought to check the place out!

A kaiju suit from MM9 is just one of the cool attractions visitors can see.

First, a word about Toshio Miyake. Miyake-san's suit-acting credits include: Gridman, Ultraman Zearth, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, Ultraman Gaia, Ultraman Cosmos, MM9, Death Kappa, and many other credits. One of his most notable roles was Golza in Ultraman Tiga, but suffice it to say that Mr. Miyake has more than 150 kaiju roles to his credit!

Toshio Miyake holds a VHS copy of Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, the American adaptation of Tsuburaya's Gridman. Miyake-san plays the role of Kilokahn (in his fight scenes) and Dyna Dragon in the program.

Sure, the space is a little cramped, but find a bar or restaurant in Shibuya that isn't! Otherwise, it's certainly a place to check out. The kaiju-oriented decor certainly makes it all worthwhile.


I give Kaiju-ya full marks. When in Tokyo, stop by!

No comments:

Post a Comment