Jasmina Mitrovic

タイムアウト東京 > ホテル > 東京近郊、最高にクールなラブホテル7選 日本のラブホテルは、単なる宿泊施設という枠を超え、街のいたるところで強烈な存在感を放つ「多機能エンターテインメント空間」へと変貌を遂げている。ちょっとした仮眠や出張時の宿としてはもちろん、充実のフードメニューを頼んで女子会を楽しんだり、コスチュームをレンタルして非日常のキャラクターになりきれたりする場所としても機能しているのだ。 中には、感度の高いファッション写真のロケ地に選ばれたり、アートプロジェクトとコラボレーションを展開したりする名店も存在する。用途を限定しないその自由度の高さから、本来の目的で一度も使ったことがない若者たちの間でも、現在はカルト的な人気を博すほどだ。 ラブホテルが提供するもの、それは「ファンタジー」にほかならない。昨今流行の無難なミニマリズムをあっさりと投げ捨て、掲げたコンセプトの世界観をこれでもかと徹底的に作り込む。万人受けする均一なホスピタリティーばかりが目指されがちな都市において、過剰さや好奇心、最高の意味での「悪趣味（バッドテイスト）」を堂々と全肯定してくれる空間なのだ。 日常を抜け出して刺激が欲しいなら、今週末はラブホテルでステイケーションを決め込んでみるのはどうだろう。世間の行楽シーズンや休日でも変わらない安心のシステムで迎えてくれる。いつもと違う刺激的な冒険を求め、これから紹介するユニークな空間へ一歩足を踏み入れてみてほしい。 関連記事『東京、昭和レトロなラブホテル6選』

タイムアウト東京 > ナイトライフ > 東京・大阪・京都で今、行くべきナイトライフスポット6選 夜をどう過ごすかで、旅の深さが変わる。音楽に身を委ねるのも、温泉で疲れを癒やすのも、カウンターでグラスを傾けるのも、その街を知るための手がかりになる。 ここでは、こだわりのサウンドに浸れるミュージックバー、「原宿カルチャー」を感じられるレストラン、アートギャラリーとギャルバーを兼ねた歌舞伎町らしいヴェニュー、梅田の夜空を望む健康増進施設、「ダンスミュージック好きの聖地」と評されるクラブ、京都らしい食材を用いた実験的なカクテルを提供するバーなど、東西6ヴェニューを厳選して紹介する。 関連記事『東京のベストバー28選』『大阪、ベストカクテルバー4選』

Trying to pin hen-kawa down too neatly defeats the point. Somewhere between weird and cute, the concept lives in the gap between polished and not, exuding the charm that comes from something being slightly off, slightly too much, slightly unafraid of looking a little strange. Tokyo has always had pockets of this energy, but Ikebukuro wears it more openly than most. The area on the east side of the station pulls anime culture right to the surface: figure shops, cosplay supply stores, maid cafés stacked between convenience stores and karaoke boxes. The western side runs darker and quieter. Between the two, something genuinely odd has always been allowed to exist here. RECOMMENDED: 55 things to do in Ikebukuro

Messy, stylish and impossible to keep up with, the after-dark scene in Japan’s big cities is always evolving. This list is your shortcut to a handful of the places that matter right now – from a bar-meets-art-gallery in the heart of Tokyo’s neon-lit Kabukicho to Kyoto’s most ambitious new cocktail den and a 24-hour hot-spring haven in Osaka.

「変かわ」を明確に定義しようとすると、その本質を見失う。「奇妙」と「かわいい」の狭間に存在するこの概念は、かわいいの中心からは外れていて、過剰で、奇妙に見えることを恐れない。そして、いびつなものに宿り、人々を引き寄せる強烈な魅力を放っている。 池袋は「変かわ」のエネルギーを他のどの都市よりも堂々とまとっている街だ。駅の東側はアニメ文化を地表にまで噴出させ、西側は東側とは異なるディープさと奇妙な静けさを併せ持つ。 ここでは、他の街ではなかなか出合えない、ひと筋縄ではいかないヴェニューを紹介する。

Love hotels in Japan are not your run-of-the-mill highway rest stops. They exist in every part of every major Japanese city, tucked behind club districts, stacked above convenience stores, announced by signage that can at times be more suggestive than discreet. The name does most of the heavy lifting, and yes, their primary function is exactly what it sounds like. But things don’t stop there. Many of these establishments have expanded their use cases to the point where the love hotel has become something closer to a multi-functional venue: you can check into one to take a nap, use it for a business trip, host a girls' night with a full à la carte menu, throw a birthday party, or rent a costume and stay in character for the entire visit. Some of the best properties have been shot by fashion photographers, collaborated with art institutions, and built cult followings among people who have never once used them for their original purpose. While privacy is the core concept, so is mood. Love hotels deal in fantasy; the chance to step out of your life for a few hours and ‘rest’ in whatever way the word takes meaning to you. That is especially true of themed love hotels, where the room is not just somewhere to sleep, but the whole reason to go. These places forgo ‘tasteful’ minimalism, truly committing to whatever bit they advertise – which is exactly why their continued existence is so important. In a city where hospitality largely aims for neutrality, themed love hotels still allow

There are levels to looksmaxxing. Long before some corners of the internet turned self-improvement into something weird, Japan had already built an entire beauty culture around details. The flyaways matter. The pores matter. The dullness under your eyes after a night out in Tokyo? Easy fix. That is part of why skincare here can feel so intense, but also so good: it is equal parts practicality, ritual and low-level obsession. The downside is that finding the right product can melt your brain. Walk into a Donki, open Qoo10 or browse through Cosme for ten minutes, and suddenly every pink bottle is promising the same glossy new face. Some of it is gimmick, some of it is actually worth your money, and telling the difference is half the battle. To save you the deep search, here are seven products that are getting real traction in Japan right now. All of the products on this list are available at most Don Quijote stores around the city, as well as the @cosme Store in Harajuku.

Japan doesn’t do the whole groundhog routine, but if it did, the poor thing would probably give up halfway through March. One day it’s bright blue skies, and the kind of weather that has everyone mentally pulling out picnic sheets and pretending blossom season has already arrived. Then the temperature drops overnight and a fresh hit of snow barrels back in like winter heard you getting too comfortable. Which, for anyone not quite ready to retire their goggles, is good news. Spring skiing in Japan sits in that odd little gap between seasons where the pressure eases off, the days get longer, the beer tastes better in the sun and the mountains start showing a different side of themselves. Some resorts are already winding down by late March, while others keep hanging on into Golden Week and beyond. Each one comes with its own version of what a snow trip should feel like, whether that means Niseko bars, sulfur baths in Zao or the slightly surreal indoor-resort weirdness of Rusutsu. So before you fully surrender to sakura content, here are the spots still worth strapping in for.Recommended: 10 best snow and ski destinations in Japan

Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori VERDYは、長年東京のクリエーティブシーンにおける中心人物の一人として活躍している人物である。ファッション・音楽・ナイトライフ・アートと多岐にわたって活動しており、BLACKPINKやIce Spiceのビジュアルおよびクリエーティブディレクションを手がける一方で、「Budweiser」のようなグローバルブランドともコラボレーションを行っている。 「東京」を象徴する存在の一人だが、VERDYのルーツは大阪にある。ここではそんな彼の大阪とのつながりを紹介しよう。 大阪と東京の違い VERDYにとって大阪という街は明快だ。東京よりも物価が安く、飯がウマい。夜は楽しく、人は面白い。少しだけ東京よりもルーズで、洗練され過ぎておらず、リラックスできる場所だと言う。 Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori 大阪滞在中によく訪れるという谷町や大阪城周辺は、その穏やかさを感じられる場所だ。一方で夜になれば、今もクラブカルチャーやミュージシャン、スケーターが集うアメリカ村へと足を向ける。彼は常に街の若いエネルギーに注目しており、特にセレクトショップ「COFLO」は、新世代の才能が集まるハブスポットだと紹介してくれた。 「コミュニティー」のためのピザ Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori オープン4周年を迎えた「Henry's PIZZA」は、VERDYと故郷との絆を最も象徴する場所だろう。建前としてはニューヨークスタイルのピザ屋だが、実態はコミュニティーハブに近い。 同店を通じて、彼は「使い捨てではないけれど、手頃な価格で楽しめる場所」を作りたいと考え、2階にはクラブハウスのようなギャラリーを併設した。ピザを食べに来た客が、それまで知らなかったアーティストに偶然出会う――そんな絶妙なオーバーラップを楽しんでほしい。 Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori 若きVERDYが、カルチャーやファッションにのめり込んでいた頃、海外アーティストの来日公演や展示会のほとんどは東京に集中していた。大阪にいることは、シーンを外側から眺めているような感覚を伴うこともあったと話す。Henry's PIZZAは、そんなかつての「距離感」を埋める架け橋なのだ。

タイムアウト東京 > ショッピング＆スタイル > 海外出身のクリエーターがおすすめする東京近郊のチェーン店 海外の価値観を持ち併せ、東京で生活するクリエーターたちは、東京ローカルのヴェニューをどのように見ているのだろうか？デザイナー、イラストレーター、バーテンダーの3人におすすめのチェーン店について聞いてみた。  

Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori Verdy has been one of the main characters of Tokyo’s creative scene for a while. Working across fashion, music, nightlife and art, he’s as comfortable contributing visual and creative direction for Blackpink and Ice Spice as he is for Budweiser. While a graphic artist and designer by trade, Verdy thrives with projects that bring people together in real life. The parties and exhibitions around his ventures help shape the scene and aren’t about exclusivity or insider access; people simply show up because something is happening. Made in Osaka While he’s inarguably ‘Tokyo’, Verdy’s roots are in Osaka, and that connection endures. For him, the city is easy to explain. It’s cheaper than Tokyo. The food is good. Nights are fun. The people are interesting. Compared to the capital, it’s looser, less polished, and often more relaxed. Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori When in Osaka, Verdy gravitates toward calm areas like Tanimachi and the surroundings of Osaka Castle. At night, he finds himself in Amerikamura, where clubbers, musicians and skaters gather. He keeps an eye on the city’s young energy, pointing to places like the select shop Coflo as a hub for emerging Osaka talent. Pizza for the people Photo: Kunihiro Fukumori Henry’s Pizza, now celebrating its fourth anniversary, is the most visible expression of Verdy’s bond with his hometown. On paper, it’s a New York style pizza shop. In reality, it’s more like a community hub. With Henry’s, he wanted to create so

Before your brain goes straight to Kabukicho: relax. This is not a red-light district story, and these services aren’t selling anything physical. Rental boyfriend/rental girlfriend agencies in Japan are basically date companion services. You book someone to spend time with you in public, under clear rules, and the ‘role’ is usually what it says on the label: boyfriend, girlfriend, or just someone to hang out with. If you’ve been online long enough, you’ve probably seen this concept float by already, either through Vice-era coverage or a streamer trying it out as content. It gets filed under ‘weird Japan’, but the reality is way more normal: a lot of people book these dates because they don’t want to do something alone, their original plus-one bailed, they’re travelling and want someone to show them around, or they just want a low-pressure day where they can talk and feel a bit less in their own head. Think of it as renting company, not true romance – that latter part is mostly atmosphere. What many don’t realise is that Japan has been ‘renting people’ for a while. The broader rental-companion/stand-in world goes back to the early 1990s, and it’s since grown into a full system of ‘borrowed connection’ services. You can rent a friend, a grandma, and even a handsome guy to cry with you. The boyfriend/girlfriend version is for some reason just the most meme-able branch of that tree – one that started getting more publicly visible in the early 2010s, when this style of dispatch se

Tokyo has gourmet dogs, art dogs and heavily engineered dogs, but sometimes the best one is still a man, a grill and a bun. Kajuru Kenny, better known around Harajuku and Kabukicho as the hot dog cart guy, has been selling New York-style hot dogs for around 20 years. His setup is simple: an open-concept food truck, grilled sausages, soft buns and no unnecessary decoration. The staple hot dog is ¥600, handed straight from the grill to your hand, and that is most of the charm. Kenny is humble about it too. His pitch is basically: if you taste it, you’ll like it. No foam, no microgreens, no overthinking. Just a hot dog that tastes like a hot dog, which in Tokyo can feel weirdly rare. Follow him on Instagram to track where he is – usually between Harajuku, Kabukicho and the occasional event.

C.O.D stands for Cash on Delivery, though these days the name is more of a relic than a payment warning. The Kita-Aoyama shop has been open for around 40 years, which is exactly how it became the laid-back hot dog institution it is today: experience. The space has a loose California garage feel, with events, a DJ booth and a nighttime bar setup that closes whenever the person behind the bar decides the night is over. The dogs here lean more Tex-Mex than ballpark classic, with loaded toppings and a slightly messy, very satisfying energy. Go for the chilli cheese dog: warm, heavy, saucy and exactly the kind of thing you want when you’re pretending summer in Tokyo is less brutal than it is.

Doggs is a hot dog shop covered in Americana-style LED decor, run by Aly, a rapper who also goes by Stpaulers. The shop has been in Ekoda since 2015, serving handmade sausages inspired by America and Canada while keeping everything grounded in its own local community. On some weekends, Doggs hosts block parties outside the shop, turning the street into part of the experience. The sausages are handmade with domestic pork and no additives, and the menu stretches from New York-style classics to heavier BBQ-leaning options. The Queen’s BBQ is the special recommendation, but the plain dog might be the most serious one if you want to understand the base.

Skookum opened in 2021 with a pretty clear mission: make hot dogs feel like something worth travelling for. The owner previously worked in the hamburger world, but after seeing how many burger places already existed, wanted to do something with a little more surprise. The result is an artisan hot dog diner in Nakameguro where the sausage gets treated with the kind of attention usually reserved for much more serious food. The process involves smoking, drying, frying and boiling, with a lot of trial and error behind each dog. The idea is still easy eating, but the flavour is more layered than the usual bun-plus-sausage-plus-sauce formula. The namesake Skookum dog is the one to get, generously topped with house-made char siu-esque bacon, cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce, house-made BBQ sauce and tartar sauce. The word ‘skookum’ comes from Chinook Jargon and carries meanings like strong, powerful and impressive – which is a pretty intense name for a hot dog, but in this case, fair.

Opened in March 2026 inside Harajuku Quest, The Tunnel is a new food, music and culture spot from En One Tokyo, the team behind some of Harajuku’s coolest galleries, restaurants and hangouts. The space is designed like a real service area, bringing together different kinds of food, people and reasons to linger under one theme. Only here, the theme is less family road trip and more Harajuku culture tunnel with a sound system. Inside, you’ll find casual snacks crafted with culinary expertise, drinks, a soundproof setup and a hall in the back for exhibitions, pop-ups and events. It has the easy feeling of somewhere you can stop by quickly, but the cultural wiring of a place that will probably end up hosting half the neighbourhood’s DJs, artists and food people at some point. Go for a quick bite, stay for whatever is happening in the back, or just make it your default Harajuku pit stop when you don’t know where else to go. As they put it: とりあえずTunnelで.

Hailing from Seoul’s Gangnam, Kompakt Record Bar has become a haunt for culture starters, record enthusiasts, fashion kids and anyone who prefers their nights with a little more intention. In Korea, the bar has built its name around analogue sound, good drinks and the kind of easy atmosphere that makes for a fulfilling night out. Its simple logo tees have also travelled far beyond the bar itself, turning up on backs around the world like a quiet signal for those in the know. The Ikejiri Ohashi venue is its first location outside of its home city. Rather than planting itself in the obvious nightlife zones, the Tokyo branch settles into a more local pocket of the city, aiming to become a place for music, conversation and community rather than another room built only around the peak-hour rush of a club. Inside, the focus is on records. All music is played on analogue vinyl, with selectors moving across genres. They want patrons to feel familiar with the sound. For a ¥500 music charge, guests can catch a rotating line-up of domestic and international DJs on the decks. Fitted with the beautiful ‘ON8 Small Club System’ by NNNN x OJAS, and backed up by a hefty soundproof door, a night out here is sure to be nothing but smooth beats and smoother sailing.

Brutalismus 3000 are touching down in Tokyo. The Berlin duo have built a cult around a sound that hits like hard techno with a cracked-pop brain, pulling old club references, blown-out rave energy and sharp hooks into something that feels both trashy and futuristic in the best way. Their debut album Ultrakunst pushed them even further out, earning them major praise and landing them on festival stages around the world, but the real pull has always been the same: they know how to make electronic music feel nasty, physical and fun again. Presented by local subculture magazine sabukaru.online and Creativeman, the group behind Summer Sonic, this long-awaited Japan stop brings one of Europe’s most talked-about live acts to the city with special guests still to come. If you like your nights loud, a little unhinged and impossible to stand still through, this one’s already speaking for itself. Tickets go on sale April 26 and will set you back ¥9,000.

Hotel Brugge goes all in on European excess. Their furnishings are the real deal. Every piece, from the bedframes to the chandeliers, was imported, and the hotel has taken their aesthetics seriously since opening in 1998 as a family-run business. One floor is devoted entirely to Venetian light fixtures and carnival masks, while Room 007 comes with its own outdoor swimming pool, plus a second bedroom and a living and dining space large enough to make the word ‘suite’ feel accurate. Karaoke runs in every room. Brugge is truly Disney for adults. From April, there's a full-size rose garden maze on the grounds; the pool opens in July and stays open until September. The hotel accepts families and even takes reservations for the party rooms, which come stocked with arcade machines and rentable games consoles. Most of their regulars, apparently, are groups of women coming for a party.

Sweets Hotel turns a stay into a sugar rush. The exterior announces itself before you've fully registered what you're looking at: a pink building studded with giant cookies, chocolate bars and cream puffs climbing the facade like architectural frosting. Inside, the rooms each commit to a different corner of the confectionery universe, but the presidential suite is the real cherry on top: a rooftop with a functioning merry-go-round, a pedal-powered rollercoaster, and a bed framed by an enormous dark chocolate clam shell. Before you even get to the room, you get to pick and choose at a complimentary candy bar complete with chocolate bath salts. Hansel and Gretel would have loved it here, though the door policy is strictly adults only.

Hotel Papion has been open for 36 years, gone through two full renewals, and despite that still carries the retro nostalgia loved by all who seek out Tokyo's downtown. The themed rooms include two with functioning grand pianos – professional-grade, to the extent that actual musicians come into practice – but the chamber most people come for is the retro car room, a full recreation of a classic automobile interior where you can sit in the driver's seat and go absolutely nowhere. Uber Eats delivers directly to the room, which makes sense: you're already on an imaginary road trip, you may as well eat. The themed rooms can't be reserved in advance and get busy on weekends, so aim for a weekday if a specific room is the goal. The hotel actively welcomes photo shoots and is happy about the fact that people's relationship to love hotels is changing. The whole point, they say, is to create the feeling of being overseas without leaving the middle of Tokyo.

Alpha-In opened in 1979 as a ryokan and then became a business hotel – before the current owner's father, a fetish writer by trade, made a decision. The building it now occupies looks like a small castle from the outside, which is a reasonable way to describe a grey stone structure wedged between embassies in one of Tokyo's most expensive postcodes. Inside, all 26 rooms are designed around BDSM and fetish play, each fitted with suspension hooks, bondage frames, leather equipment and whatever else the particular room's theme demands. Canadian photographer Nathalie Daoust spent months documenting the rooms and their regulars. Fashion brands have shot campaigns here. Hysteric Glamour’s designer gave an interview for the hotel's art book, released in late 2024. The current owner, Saori Imazeki, runs Alpha Inn with hopes in mind of making the place bigger and better, garnering guests for more than just stays, but for events within the community.

Hotel Sara Grande is one of Japan's largest themed hotel chains and operates with the energy of a place that has genuinely tried to think of everything. The room list includes a train carriage, a clinic room, a fitness room, a magic-mirror van riff, a wizard school, a candy-pop room and a gaming-inspired ‘1UP’ room, all inside a 50-room concept-heavy property a few minutes from Gotanda Station. The hospital room is one of the biggest draws: it goes full commitment, down to a functioning X-ray reader on the wall. You’ll find karaoke in every space, and amenities that sit at the nicer end of the scale. The hotel stays pretty busy at all times, so you may want to arrive with a plan and some patience.

Takashi Murakami’s venture into rap continues with MNNK Bro., his ongoing project with JP The Wavy, and its latest release might be the duo’s most immersive world yet. Released on May 22, ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ turns the city’s expressway into a high-speed fever dream of anime, Y2K gloss, gyaru energy, gaming visuals and Japanese youth culture at full volume. The single is the fourth release from MNNK Bro., the unlikely but increasingly convincing unit formed by one of Japan’s most globally recognised contemporary artists and one of its most style-conscious rappers. On paper, Murakami alongside JP The Wavy could sound like a novelty. In practice, it has become something stranger and more interesting: a visual and sonic project where art-world surrealism, luxury fashion, internet aesthetics and Japanese hip-hop all crash into each other. Drawing on the world of Akira, ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ takes its name from the very real Metropolitan Expressway,  but in the track and video, the Shutoko becomes less of a road and more of a portal. It is late-night driving, neon reflection, speed, concrete, anime paranoia and the fantasy of Tokyo as a city that always looks better when it is slightly unreal. The music video, directed by New York duo BRTHR, pushes that world even further. Known for their stop-you-in-your-tracks visual style, BRTHR turn ‘Shutoko Tokyo’ into a barrage of references that feel deeply Japanese but globally fluent: anime speed lines, game-like motion, glossy Y2K styling, club-ki

Hailing from Seoul’s Gangnam, Kompakt Record Bar has become a haunt for culture starters, record enthusiasts, fashion kids and anyone who prefers their nights with a little more intention. In Korea, the bar has built its name around analogue sound, good drinks and the kind of easy atmosphere that makes for a fulfilling night out. Its simple logo tees have also travelled far beyond the bar itself, turning up on backs around the world like a quiet signal for those in the know. On May 15, Kompakt opened its first location outside of its home city in Tokyo’s Ikejiri-Ohashi. Rather than planting itself in the obvious nightlife zones, the Tokyo branch settles into a more local pocket of the city, aiming to become a place for music, conversation and community rather than another room built only around the peak-hour rush of a club.Inside, the focus is on records. All music is played on analogue vinyl, with selectors moving across genres. They want patrons to feel familiar with the sound. For a ¥500 music charge, guests can catch a rotating line-up of domestic and international DJs on the decks. Fitted with the beautiful ‘ON8 Small Club System’ by NNNN x OJAS, and backed up by a hefty soundproof door, a night out here is sure to be nothing but smooth beats and smoother sailing. Photo: Kisa ToyoshimaKompakt Record Bar Kompakt Tokyo was brought together with Beams in the mix, giving the Seoul-born bar a local landing point that makes sense for the neighbourhood and the crowd it’s lik

Sakura season is now in full swing, and Yoyogi has tipped from open green space into something closer to a temporary city. Every patch of grass seems to hold a different version of spring: some groups dressed like they planned their colour story around the trees weeks in advance, others got ready with the more realistic goal of sitting on the ground for several hours, chasing kids around, or surviving that awkward stretch of Tokyo weather where it looks warm until you stop moving. Hanami never really comes out looking like one thing.   Photo: Analicia Graca   Karen & Shiori, 26Karen and Shiori kept things easy, bright and sharply in tune with the day. Karen said her outfit was inspired by spring, while Shiori dressed more for picnic vibes, which felt visible before they even said it. In front of them sat a quiche and a prosciutto basil sandwich from Little Bakery Tokyo, the kind of spread that lands somewhere between casual lunch and soft launch for the season.  Photo: Analicia Graca A skipping-rope crew For this group, hanami dressing came down to doing it together. One of the girls said they matched because everyone was spending hanami together, while another said she knew she was going to be running around and still wanted to be fashionable. Their answers had the kind of logic only kids can get away with: part coordination, part practicality, part whatever feels right when the weather finally starts loosening up. Photo: Analicia Graca Farhida, Aisha, 10, Zahara, Rida

2010年代、「KAWAII MONSTER CAFE」は東京を象徴する人気スポットの一つだった。ネオンに彩られたその空間は、現実の竹下通りの中心にありながら、海外から見た「原宿ガール像」。まるでグウェン・ステファニー（Gwen Stefani）の世界観をそのまま具現化したかのような、熱狂的な幻想空間でもあった。 そこでは現実の東京にいながら、まるで別世界に迷い込んだかのような体験ができる。巨大なケーキ型メリーゴーラウンドがクラブさながらの照明の下に据えられ、空間はカラフルなゾーンに分かれ、モンスターガールズがその場全体を生きた舞台へと変える。料理さえも、キッチンで調理されたというより、ユニコーンから採取されたかのような怪しげな見た目をしていた。 Photo: Analicia GracaPictured: Kawaii Monster Founder Sebastian Masuda, sitting amount the Monster Girls and guests. 2021年、同店は閉店を発表し、原宿はその強烈な個性を放つランドマークの一つを失う。そして2026年2月13日、単なる復活というよりも進化を遂げる形で、「KAWAII MONSTER LAND」として帰ってきた。カフェを再構築し、アトラクションを中心とした新たな施設としてスタートを切る。 かつての空間が魅力的なカオスに満ちていたとすれば、今回は来場者の導線がよりスムーズに設計されている。「Magic Spiral Gate」を抜けると、「Choppy’s Mel-Tea Cup Ride」や「Kawaii Monster Carnival」、ゲーム感覚の体験スポット、フード＆ドリンクカウンターとバー「BAR Pink Mirage」を備えた「Colorful Snack Street」など、各エリアを順に巡る構成だ。「Harajuku Gift bazaar」ではグッズも販売されており、手ぶらで帰る人はいないだろう。 Photo: Analicia GracaNewly unveiled arcade games いくつかの変更はあるものの、主役は依然として「モンスターガールズ」だ。ハイパーキュートなパフォーマーたちが、原宿らしさを200％に引き上げたようなエネルギーを再び呼び戻す。スタイリングもより洗練され、現代のストリートファンタジーを想起させる世界観を表現している。 光沢感のあるサイバーゴススタイル、ブラックレースのグローブやメタル素材、大胆なグラフィックディテールに、ひと目では愛らしくに見えつつもどこか異質さを感じさせる人形のようなメイク。あるいは、ネオングリーンのレースやレインボーのフェイクファーカフス、ラインストーンをあしらったアーマーショルダーなどをまとったデコラスタイルも登場する。ハンドメイドの温もりを感じさせるレイヤードの質感が、ポップで祝祭的なムードを際立たせる。 さらに、フリルやリボン、パステルカラーのふんわりとした装飾、ハートのパッチ、キャンディカラーなど、スウィートロリータを思わせる要素も随所にちりばめられている。誇張されたウィッグやアクセサリーと相まって、原宿ならではのスタイルを色濃く反映したビジュアルが印象的だ。 Photo: Time Out TokyoThe Monster Girls from left to right* Candy, Crazy, Dolly, Natty, Baby KAWAII MONSTER CAFE

The Kawaii Monster Café was an OG Tokyo attraction of the 2010s; a neon fever dream that nailed the overseas, Gwen Stefani-tinted idea of ‘Harajuku girls’, in the middle of the real Takeshita Street. It was the closest thing Tokyo had to a portal: a mad-hatter wonderland where a giant cake carousel sat under club lighting, the space was split into colour-coded zones, and the Monster Girls turned the whole place into a living set. Even the food looked suspicious, like it had been harvested from a unicorn rather than cooked in a kitchen. Photo: Analicia GracaPictured: Kawaii Monster Founder Sebastian Masuda, sitting amount the Monster Girls and guests. In 2021, the café announced it would close for good, and Harajuku lost one of its most unapologetically loud landmarks. Now, it’s back, though with less revival and more renaissance – as Kawaii Monster Land, a rebuilt ‘attraction-first’ version of the original. If the old café was chaotic in a charming way, this one is clearly designed to move people through smoothly. You enter through the Magic Spiral Gate, then follow a set flow into different areas: Choppy’s Mel-Tea Cup Ride, a Kawaii Monster Carnival zone, game-like stops, and Colourful Snack Street, where the food-and-drink counter sits alongside a bar called Pink Mirage. There’s also a Harajuku Gift Bazaar for merch, because no one leaves a place like this empty-handed. Photo: Analicia GracaNewly unveiled arcade games Despite the few changes, the Monster Girls are still

In a move you never expected, McDonald’s Japan and Street Fighter literally cross worlds with the ‘Street Burgers’ line-up dropping today (October 22), pulling familiar faces from Capcom’s universe into fast-food form. Ryu gets the burnt-garlic mayo egg teriyaki treatment, Chun-Li turns into a yurinchi-style chicken burger, and Ken plays the role he always has: excessive, triple-cheesed and golden. Each item lands in limited packaging that looks more like arcade signage than meal branding, while McFizz cups show Ryu and Ken mid-Hadoken. undefinedundefined It’s a collaboration that makes sense in the way Japan often does – nostalgia and convenience culture colliding in a perfectly designed impulse purchase. The tie-in extends beyond the counter too; players of Street Fighter 6 can unlock in-game bonuses connected to the campaign, making it one of those crossovers that bleeds through reality just enough to feel surreal. McDonald’s commercials have leaned into that, showing burgers exploding like special moves, filmed with the same confidence as a Capcom trailer. The collab runs nationwide starting October 22 2025, for a limited period. It’s easy to dismiss this kind of marketing as novelty, but Japan has turned novelty into an art form – knowing that a moment of play, no matter how commercial, still carries cultural weight.  The ‘Street Burgers’ collab is available at McDonald’s outlets nationwide. Check the website for full details. More

1990年代後半から2000年代初頭にかけて、矢沢あいの漫画は真の文化現象だった。彼女は、ファッションを「第二の言語」として操り、失恋が常に線路の向こう側で待ち構えているかのような独特の世界観を構築。『NANA』『Paradise Kiss』『ご近所物語』では、東京という都市のカフェも裏通りも一本のたばこまでもが、映画のワンシーンに見えるように切り取った。 そして、矢沢が描いたキャラクターたちは、「ヴィヴィアン」のタータンやイチゴ色のフリルに身を包み、喜びと絶望の間を漂いながら、孤独さえもスタイルとして昇華するかのように街を歩く。 紙面上では未完のまま止まっている物語もあるが、この街・東京では、その間も矢沢の世界の断片が息づいている。中には「聖地巡礼」として知られる場所もあれば、彼女の描く一コマがそのまま現実になったかのような場所もある。 『NANA』の熱心なファンであれ、あるいは矢沢の鋭い若者観やファッション感覚に引かれる者であれ、これら6つのスポットは、彼女の世界のフレームの中へと引き込んでくれるだろう。 多摩川沿いを「ホット・ガール・ウォーク」する Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 多摩川には、一度の夕暮れの間にロマンチックにもメランコリックにも揺れ動く空気が漂い、マジックアワーの水面には郊外の静かな輪郭と、遠くに広がるスカイラインの両方が映り込む。 ここでは、自分自身が変化の途上にいる登場人物であるかのように感じられる。選択のはざまに立ち、昨夜の会話を頭の中で繰り返したり、ノートに歌詞の断片を描きつけたりする。ギターを手にしたカップルが歩き、ランナーとすれ違う。気付けばその光景全体が、まるで矢沢の漫画の一場面を現実に重ね合わせたかのように見えてくるに違いない。 「Jackson Hole」のバーガーに時間を忘れる Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 『NANA』のファンにとって、「Jackson Hole」はハンバーガーショップではなく、むしろ巡礼地である。調布にあるこの居心地のよい店は、作品に組み込まれており、漫画の世界から現実へワープできる数少ない場所の一つだ。 ハンバーガーを注文し、ボックス席に腰を下ろせば、目の前のテーブル越しにハチや章司が座っている姿が目に浮かぶ。学校の課題について語り合ったり、複雑な恋模様を解きほぐしたりしているかもしれない。料理そのものは純粋なアメリカンだが、そこに漂う響く空気は間違いなく矢沢の世界そのものだろう。 下北沢でおそろいのコップを探す Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 下北沢に点在する古着店やビンテージショップは、矢沢の漫画世界に思いをはせるためにあるかのように思える。「東京レトロa.m.a.store」では、ハチらしさがぎゅっと詰まったイチゴ模様のガラスのコップを手に入れたり、彼女がインテリアの仕事をしていた頃を思わせるスタイリッシュな家具の中を歩き回ったりできる。 この街のキッチュとストリートウエアの鋭さが混ざり合う空気感は、矢沢作品の登場人物たちを忘れがたくしているあの絶妙な緊張感そのものであり、どの店も新しいサブプロット（副次的な筋書き）が生まれそうな気配をまとっている。  「喫茶小雪」でゆったりとした時間を過ごす Photo: Jasmina Mitrovic 「喫茶小雪」は、まるで矢沢のヒロインのためにスケッチされ、生まれたかのようなカフェだ。昭和の趣に加え、繊細なイチゴケーキも楽しめ、懐かしさと2000年代のガーリーカルチャー

Hysteric Glamour isn’t new to flipping cultural icons, but this time they’re dragging the women of One Piece through their rock’n’roll-pin-up lens. Nami, Robin, Boa Hancock and Vivi show up across tees, denim and jackets, mashed with Hysteric’s usual Americana graphics and sleazy-retro attitude.
 Instead of cosplay-adjacent iconography, this collab feels more like bootleg streetwear you’d want to thrift and flex. It leans hard into what’s given Hysteric its name: loud prints and irreverent sex appeal. So you can wipe away worries of sifting through a back-alley rack in Shibuya next to vintage Marlboro jackets and fake Metallica tees. Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The line-up is lean but punchy: four graphic T-shirts, a mesh cap, an open-collar shirt, and a reversible sukajan bomber jacket with Nami embroidered on one side and all-over artwork on the other. Prices run from ¥15,400 for tees up to ¥132,000 for the sukajan – squarely in Hysteric’s usual range.
 Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The release drops October 4 at Hysteric Glamour flagships across Japan (Shibuya, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Kyoto, Fukuoka) and the brand’s web store. If you missed the pre-order window on Zozovilla, this is your shot. More from Time Out TokyoFamilyMart has opened its own clothing store in TokyoThe world's first Dragon Ball Store is opening in Tokyo Station this NovemberMichelin Guide Tokyo reveals newly starred restaurants and more for 2026The Summer Hikaru Died is getting a stag

Navigating Tokyo’s nightlife scene can feel like stepping into a circus. One look around reveals endless options for revelry that can take you well on into the early morning – but the act of actually walking into a new space, especially one you’ve never set foot in before, can be daunting. So, to spare you another night posted up in front of your go-to convenience store, we’ve curated a list of events happening around the city this weekend that are guaranteed to be worth the effort. With Tokyo Fashion Week in full swing, this weekend’s line-up promises a wave of stylish people, move-inducing beats, and a whole lot of fun. Photo:Yagi Exhibition. x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum Yagi Exhibition x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum at Domicile Tokyo Sep 5-12Reiji Okamoto is a man of many musical titles, but above all, he's a connector of Tokyo’s underground – This time he's teaming up with renowned British brand Kangol for the fourth round of their cult collaboration. The Rabbit Beanie returns, updated with a few design changes, and a multitude of colours. Alongside the garment’s official release will be an exhibition of one-off custom versions created by 21 iconic local artists at Tokyo’s fashion and cultural syndicate, Domicile Tokyo. The exhibition launches Friday with an opening reception and will remain on view through September 12. The collab celebrations will spill over into Monday with a Rabbit Party being held at Shibuya’s Music Bar Lion. Expect live sets, seasoned DJs an