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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. 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.
Despite the few changes, the Monster Girls are still the main event: a cast of hyper-cute performers who bring back that ‘Harajuku turned up to 200%’ energy, but with sharper styling that feels closer to today’s street fantasy.