Shining Moon Tokyo - Sailor Moon Restaurant | Tokyo, Japan

As a child of the 90s, I loved Sailor Moon. I remember rushing home to watch episodes after school. It was my favorite show in middle school. I always loved Lita or Sailor Jupiter. I didn’t really connect with any of the other girls. Ironically, I grew up to be like Rei or Sailor Mars. Everyone knew I loved this show and was completely obsessed. I wore my hair like Lita almost every day and had posters of the Sailor Scouts all over my walls. I even used up all the ink in our printer to print all the cool illustrations from Japan. Back in the day ink was hella expensive, so I definitely got in trouble for printing that stuff out. My eldest brother Chris bought me so many bootleg VHS tapes of the non-dubbed episodes and movies.

When I found out that a Sailor Moon dinner and a show was opening only a couple months before our trip to Japan. I knew we had to visit Shining Moon Tokyo. I read online that the food was something left to be desired, so we didn’t have high expectations for that. To be honest, this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The show and production was incredibly and really well done. The language barrier is not a problem at all. It’s mostly dance and action so you can easily follow what’s going on. It’s an all female cast, which I loved very much. The actresses were all so kawaii (cute) and really get into character. I loved seeing Usagi (Sailor Moon) and Mamochan (Tuxedo Mask) in real life being so cutesy. I can’t even describe to you the pure elation I felt during the two and a half hours that we were there. If we are ever back in Tokyo, I would definitely go again, I loved it that much!

Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku | Tokyo, Japan

One of the best things Markus and I did in Japan was visit Tokyo's Robot Cabaret Restaurant. This show is one of the many reasons why I love Japan. Where else can you see scantily clad Japanese girls dancing with robots and dinosaurs? I feel like this experience was the epitome of our entire trip and that's why I decided to end my Japan posts with this show.

Everything was so zany and unlike anything I've ever seen. Before you go to the show, you wait in a room filled with lights and electronic dinosaurs. I have to admit that I saw way more men than women and I was slightly worried that this could be a different kind of show than I expected. Once we were ushered into the stage area, we were treated to many different performances. They varied in theme and seemed completely unconnected. At one point, a tattooed woman came out and played a saxophone. It was completely ridiculous, but kinda awesome. It was an experience that I will never forget. If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, make sure you check out this show. You won't regret it, I promise!

Gundam Cafe | Tokyo, Japan

While we were exploring Akihibara, Tokyo's Electric District, we saw heaps of Gundam goods everywhere. Since we were in the famous neighborhood, naturally we would have to make a quick stop at the Gundam themed cafe. Markus and I aren't fans of Gundam and I don't know much about it. Honestly, I was more of a Macross fan growing up. It was still exciting to be able to visit a place dedicated to the beloved series. The drinks were quite tasty and I enjoyed looking at all the fan art on the wall. I love that Japan has places that are dedicated to their geeky offerings. I wish there were more places like this in the States! 

Toei Kyoto Studio Park | Kyoto, Japan | 3 of 4

Warning, the next two installments of the Toei Kyoto Studio Park are going to be super geeky. If you are uninterested, take a moment to peruse my other offerings from our Japan trip. Maybe a glance at the stunning Arashiyama Bamboo Groves or the magnificent Fushimi Inari Shrine? If you are a super geek like Markus and I, get ready to fulfill your otaku dreams with some Super Sentai.

If you were anything like us as kids, you devoted some of your television time to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I have to admit that I was clueless to it's original Japanese counterpart, but not Markus. He knew all about the original predecessors. As a kid from the early 80s, he spent afternoons watching Spectreman, Ultraman and Godzilla. That's why spent an obscene amount of time in this part of the theme park. I didn't mind though, anything to make the boy happy!