However, I guess when a gimmicky restaurant invests too much into the decor and branding, you’ll have to settle for overpriced subpar food. Or… will we? Is there any place having the BEST of both worlds?
Ninja Akasaka it is!
Last December, I’ve decided that a visit to a ninja-themed restaurant would make my life complete (like, literally). Growing up watching Naruto (I actually haven’t finished watching the newer episodes), we are the typical 90s kids who are once dead sure that Ninjas still exist (I mean maybe they do, who knows!)
To find the entrance to Ninja Akasaka nestled in the busy Akasaka-Mitsuke business district is a challenge itself, comparable to finding platform 9 1/4 in London. It took us a good 20 minutes around the area until we found an unobtrusive lantern-like marking on a featureless black wall. As we stood there looking like 3 lost-kids, a door opened from the inside all of a sudden… Imagine having to look for it after dark! You’ll totally miss it if you are not paying full attention, but that's the fun of it, isn’t it so?
The full experience started at the very ninjaesque entrance. As soon as the door was pushed opened, we carefully down the stairs around the wall partition. We were greeted by a man in suit and out of nowhere, a ninja rolled out of a wall panel.
It seemed that before we can be welcomed into the secret ninja village, we had to prove ourselves worthy by completing a ninja training passage. The maze-like narrow pathway (just large enough for one person) snaked into the darkness and suddenly led to a sharp bend where we met with a broken bridge (no worries, we fixed it with ninja magic). Our personal ninja kept telling us to watch our steps and heads as we encounter more trap doors, obstacles and booby traps. This winding wooden passage turns away those who aren’t meant to be and those who succeed, stay for dinner. I’m kidding, we all made it...
I won’t ruin your experience by revealing too much because the most part of the fun comes from all the uncertainty and surprises. I’ll leave you asking what’s next for now.
Note:
- Although it sounds pretty adventurous, the course is actually far from being “dangerous”. Hence, do not worry! If you are very tall, you just need to bent a lot, that is it!
Soon enough, we were whisked off into a strange world. The ninja village was an eye-opener, a wall-to-wall novelty featuring waterfalls, ominous white vapor rising from the river, old Japanese homes, low beams, ornate woodwork, dimly lit streets with lanterns, treasure chests and more ninjas, complete with eerie sound effects… exactly how I’d always imagined it to be. Ninjas can show up unexpectedly from time to time so get your camera ready.
We were escorted to our table in a private partly-secluded secret labyrinth. A private dining room, just for the 3 of us! 5 minutes sitting on the comfortable pillows in the space adorned with stone walls, we figured out the reason behind it: it ensures quite dining atmosphere. Even though there were other groups in the restaurant, we felt like we were the only diners in here.
There are many other rooms with different themes:
Every single detail stick to its ninja theme, from the restroom to the service bell… but I won’t give them away or else there will be no surprise for you. A scroll (that happens to be the menu) was delivered to our table. Our ninja took orders in a hushing voice. They offer a wide variety of courses as well as a la carte options. If you are unsure, I recommend the Tasting Course which consists of 8 dishes. However, if you’ve come just for the sake of the experience, below are some signature items that you can order from the ala carte menu.
Silently our ninjas sneak behind the door (sometimes window) into our room and served us all the dishes one by one. He also took his time to explain each dish and their specialties as he unveils them. The food was simply spectacular, the dedication to its ninja theme was beyond my expectation. On top of that, they tasted incredible.
Shrunken Star Blades Grissini with Cream Pate de Foie Gras dip 手裏剣グリッシーニ フォアグラパテが付いてる （1000 Yen）
Our first appetizer arrived at ninja speed. It was a dish featuring black star-blades-(Shrunken)-like crackers hanging on the branches. Fortunately, although we were very tempted to throw our food (since the shurikens looked so real), we ate them like a civilized decent human being, topping them with generous helpings of the star-shaped foie gras pate dip.
Snow Crab and Grapefruit served with a Sword Trick ズワイガニとグレープフルーツ 水平抜刀霧隠の術 （1800 Yen）
Our favorite dish during the course was the Snow Crab. Our personal ninja brought us a whole grapefruit presented in "batto style" (with a samurai sword pierced through it). He asked me to draw out the sword. Confused and a little afraid (I was like, what is he up to?), my brother did it slowly and a fountain of mysterious fumes started oozing out from the fruit. The fresh crab flesh was served in the mid of the billowing white steam looking absolutely gorgeous. I reached into the ominous white vapor with my chopsticks and God, it was really delicious! The snow crab was very sweet, succulent and it paired well with grapefruit.
Turban Shell Bombs with Garlic Butter サザエ爆弾焼き エスカルゴもどき （1600 Yen）
These bad boys looked as cool as you could imagine. Those ventricose spiny shells sent chills down my spine… I guess it was just my instincts telling something spectacular is coming up next. Our Ninja asked us to look closely as he was about the perform another ninja magic… and these escargots burst into flames all of a sudden! It totally lives up to its name— Bombs indeed! Excited by the theatrics, the shell tasted extra good… I can’t tell, maybe it's in my head. It was the very first time we tasted horned turbans. Each of us took a shell and it definitely left us wanting for more of that buttery goodness!
Icy Bonsai 氷菓盆栽
Although we did not seal the night with desserts, I highly recommend that you do so. We were supposed to try this dish but unfortunately, it wasn’t available during our visit. I’m not going to show you a photo of it so you can have your “WOW moment” just right. One thing I can assure you, the presentation will be over-the-top!Our ninja waiter was well trained. He dressed in a way that only his eyes are exposed, speaks good English, amazing with ninjutsu and knows how to fly (ok, that was not true, but he did climb up to the ceiling in a blink of an eye). He was very enthusiastic, friendly and fun to be around. He taught us some hand motions and showed us some “Ninja Magic”... when I grow up, I want to be a ninja like him. Oppss, he had brought out the kid in me.
To round up the courses, visitors will be treated to a private ninjutsu (ninja arts) cards or magic performance at the table. No photography or videography is allowed during the magic show.
All good things must end… Our experience lasted 1.5 hours at a relaxed pace. It depends on the course of your choice, if you are ordering a set meal consists of 11 dishes, I recommend staying for 2 hours.
We had the one last surprise before exiting through a portcullis and the ninja took their ninja magic all the way to the main entrance as they bid us goodbye. As they knew we are ethnically Chinese, he unrolled a scroll bearing a handwritten message “欢迎再来“ (Please come again) while going on one knee! That’s amusing, and I really loved that personal touch. Sure, ninja, I would definitely come back again in a heartbeat! Our ninja stood and waved at us as we walked away… until we were no longer in sight. That is Japanese hospitality in its full glory.
The Verdict
I can’t recommend this place enough: A solid 5 stars from me! Come submerge yourself in Shogun-era coolness, Ninja Akasaka won’t disappoint If you are looking forward to be impressed.and besides, not many themed restaurants are family-friendly, some have erotic signs, many are too loud... so it might be surprisingly hard to find places that welcome kids. Ninja Akasaka in another hand, is a great fit with high tolerance with kids. They have the kid’s menu which children are given their very own ninja bandanas. Exciting! With all these ninja tricks and fun element, I am pretty sure that no matter how “hard-to-please” are your children, they’ll be entertained. (Please read the friendly reminders.)
Although I didn’t get to try everything on the menu, I can vouch for them. Unlike some other themed restaurant that isn’t even good in executing reasonable dishes, Ninja Akasaka wins points for bringing creative modern dishes to the table, that is not only highly-instagrammable but also pleasing to the palate.
The menu price is a little on the spendy side, but believe me, splurge! It will be well worth it because you are not just paying for the food, a taste of Japanese culture, history, and humor is offered in each outrageous presentation… at the end of the day, it is the whole experience that counts, and I assure you that you will leave Japan with a memory to last a lifetime (provided if you don’t get Alzheimer disease as you age).
If you only have time for only ONE themed restaurant during your stay in Tokyo, Ninja Akasaka has to be the one. Mic drop.
Friendly reminder:
- Always book ahead due to the popularity of this restaurant.
- If you are visiting for a special occasion, let the ninjas know so that they’ll make you something special.
- If you have kids coming over during weekends, you can only book the earlier dinner session. This is to ensure your best dining experience.
How to find the place?
The restaurant is located at the corner of Akasaka Tokyo Plaza in Chiyoda, Tokyo. If you insist to follow google map, you’ll end up walking around in circles (Excuse me but Google Maps is doing a terrible job here.)You can arrive at Akasaka-Mitsuke Station on the Ginza or Marunouchi line. Take Exit B and from there, Ninja Akasaka is just across the road on street level: You'll need to cross the pedestrian sky bridge,
turn right after the bridge, go down the stairs (the one leading to the street, NOT into the plaza),
turn around and walk along the outer part of the building. Then you’ll find the entrance around the corner (the BLACK wall).
NINJA AKASAKA 「忍者赤坂」
Akasaka Tokyu Plaza 1st floor,
2-14-3 Nagatacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0014, Japan.
〒100-0014
東京都千代田区永田町
2-14-3 赤坂東急プラザ1Ｆ
Website: Ninja Akasaka, Chiyoda
Phone: 03-5157-3936
Hours: Mon-Sat 5:30pm-2am, Sunday and Holidays 5pm-11pm
Last but not least, here are some photos of our very (extremely) handsome Ninja:
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Thank You for Reading!
This post is made possible by Ninja Akasaka.
As always, it is based solely on my honest opinion or personal experience.
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