Experiences in Tokyo with Voyagin: Robot Restaurant

I hope you have been enjoying my travel posts recently! I’ve so far only talked about Sydney but today, I’ll be sharing my first recap of my travels in Tokyo. One thing I like to do when I travel is to do experiences that’s unique to that city. That’s why I decided to check out Robot Restaurant in Tokyo!

Robot Restaurant Tokyo

On my first day in Tokyo, I strolled down the winding roads of Shinjuku in search of Robot Restaurant. I was still getting used to all the back alleys in the city as I thought a big tourist show would be on a main street. But after some searching, the bright lights of Robot Restaurant can’t be missed. There’s also tons of promoters outside selling tickets right before the show. If you plan on going, I do recommend buying through Voyagin (Discounted tickets including one drink and front row seats for $79 CAD, I’ll get into more details a bit later).

For me, I had a bit of trouble with the whole “check in” process. We were kindly offered media tickets by Voyagin but I’ve never had such a hassle with a media check in process. I had to go through 3 different employees finally talking to the manager. They wanted to see my business card, questioned where my camera is and told me multiple times they wouldn’t let me in. It took about 30 minutes of back and forth before we finally got our tickets.

The Preshow

I was getting anxious as the tickets said “failure to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled show time will result in the cancellation of your reservation” so I thought we were late. But once we were led in, we were actually shown to the waiting area. The wall paper and the decorations in the hallways and waiting room are pretty crazy and super fun to look at. There was a live performer who was very good! But I didn’t really enjoy that they asked you to go early to the show just so you can buy drinks and snacks before the show. So if you are running a little late, don’t be stressed like me that you would miss the show.

The Environment

After a while, the hostess led all of us in the waiting room down the stairs to the actual show room. I think the Robot Restaurant name threw me off as I thought we might be sitting in tables with Robots doing shows around us. But actually there is a “runway” and 3 rows of seats on each side. If you buy tickets from Voyagin, you’ll be guaranteed front row seats which is a lot more interaction with the performers and better for taking photos! I sat in the 3rd row and the view was fine too.

For the first little while, they sold more drinks and souvenirs and created a summer fair like environment. They had cocktails in a light up cup, beers, popcorn, and lots of Robot Restaurant souvenirs.

The Show

The show started with a roar! About 10 performers all started playing the drums together and it was a thundering beginning and I barely knew where to look. For the next 15 minutes, weird animals and other creatures came out in floats parade style battling other creatures. I was trying to figure out the plot but there really isn’t any. The show itself was interesting in the sense that there is an overwhelming amount of lights and sound. However the intermissions every 15 minutes selling drinks and souvenirs really breaks up the atmosphere and makes it feel more like a tourist trap than a once in a lifetime experience.

I think how much you enjoy the show is based on your expectations! I was thinking that there would be high-tech robots or really skilled performers doing acrobatic dances like Cirque du Soleil. So I was a bit disappointed with the level of professionalism of the show. There’s still tons of people who think it’s an absolute must go and a totally unique experience. It’s very hard to sum up the show as it’s just meant to be an overload of all your senses! There’s crazy laser lights, loud cheers, and even some flames.

I think my experience might also be biased because of how frustrating the “check in” process was. I received such warm hospitality throughout Tokyo otherwise that this experience really stood out to me. Overall the show was definitely crazy but it didn’t involve any special skills or acrobatics. Additionally, I really disliked that they kept stopping the show to sell more drinks, food and souvenir. The show is already expensive enough that they should just let the audience enjoy the spectacle.

Here you can see in the light how small the “runway” is for the robots.

Tickets

There are at least three show times each day at 5:55pm, 7:50pm and 9:45pm, regular price of 8,000 Yen (~$80 USD). Try and grab food before or after the show as the food in Shinjuku will be much better than at the show. I went to Raamemmanrai for ramen and Bar Benfidditch for cocktails before the show and both were FANTASTIC! If you buy your tickets through Voyagin, you get a discount, a drink voucher, and front row seats. So if you do decide to go visit, make sure to get your discounted tickets online!

Activities in Tokyo

Make sure to browse Voyagin’s huge selection of tours (over 1000!) for other unique Japanese experiences in Tokyo! A couple other activities that caught my eye on Voyagin includes the Mario Cart drive and a visit to the Hedgehog Cafe. I like that you can see so many experiences all together on one site. They usually has discounted price compared to buying straight from the vendor!

Unfortunately the Robot Restaurant didn’t live up to my expectations but I’m glad I had the chance to see what the hype is all about! If you visited, did you have a different experience? Would you add it to your itinerary when visiting Tokyo?

I received complimentary tickets to Robot Resturant coordinated by Voyagin