NINJA!

Cool electric staircase in Akasaka Station.

Dining out seems to be the number one form of entertainment for Tokyoites, in close competition with karaoke and getting sloppy drunk. The combination of tiny apartments and the culture of entertaining clients after hours has pushed Tokyo into the culinary world. We've found that every taste palate can be satisfied and every dining experience partook. Theme restaurants are particularly popular in Tokyo with everything from Alcatraz (dinner in a cell?) to Buddhism and Cat Cafes (pay to play with cats while you sip your cappuccino) to Cannibalistic Sushi (eating a doughy representation of a body). We usually skip these places because we prefer good food over pricey gimmicks, but this weekend our friend Charity wanted to celebrate her 29th birthday at Ninja and we happily went along.

Your server greets you by jumping out of a hidden trap door and then guides you through a maze of dark tunnels, low ceilings and drawbridges. All the servers are dressed in ninja gear. Each table is in its own little room, some with tatami, others Western style.

The food was surprisingly delicious! We ordered the 7 course vegetarian set and loved it--this is tempura vegetables with salt and matcha dipping powder.

Steamed vegetables and miso dipping sauce came in a small pot with dry ice smoking.

Vegetable nigiri sushi--that's a tomato (not salmon!) with ginger on the side.

We even had our own Ninja Magician who wowed us with card tricks and disappearing coins.

Our server followed us out, did a few ninja cartwheels and flips and then unfurled this scroll for Charity.