Tokyo diners nosh on Demogorgon pasta, Eleven's waffles at 'Stranger Things' cafe

TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Japanese followers of the sci-fi hit “Stranger Issues” can chow down on demonic pasta and rock out to retro Nineteen Eighties tunes at a pop-up cafe impressed by the Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) horror drama.

The store, a partnership with native restaurant chain Pronto Corp, just lately prolonged its run within the modern Shibuya district of Tokyo a number of months amid overwhelming demand. “Stranger Issues” has remained one of many streamer’s prime 10 reveals in Japan for the reason that launch of its fourth season in Might.

The inside has replicas of retailers and units from the present, set in fictional U.S. city of Hawkins, Indiana, together with its dark-mirror underworld that the pre-teen protagonists name the “Upside Down.”

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Patrons can take photos subsequent to the drama’s signature Demogorgon monster whereas songs from the present, comparable to Kate Bush’s “Operating Up That Hill,” play within the background.

FILE PHOTO – Forged members Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Noah Schnapp, Priah Ferguson and Brett Gelman pose at a particular occasion for the tv sequence “Stranger Issues” at Raleigh Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Might 27, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Diners can nosh on meals impressed by the present, comparable to squid-ink pasta organized just like the monster’s head or the waffles craved by the psychically powered star character, Eleven.

To cut back the danger spreading COVID-19, now battering Japan in report infections, the cafe requires guests to make a reservation and solely about 20 are allowed inside each hour.

“Day-after-day at midnight, I’ve been making an attempt to guide a desk on my telephone,” stated 29-year-old mom Kimiko Nakae. “Lastly there’s a gap at the moment as a result of somebody had cancelled the reservation.”

Tokyo has a protracted custom of themed eating places and cafes, that includes the whole lot from ninja waiters and unique animals to vampire-inspired delicacies.

However like many tourist-oriented companies, the sector has been arduous hit by the pandemic. The Lockup, a sequence of haunted jail eateries, ended a 23-year run when its closing location closed final month, becoming a member of the destiny of the well-known Robotic Restaurant, a gaudy music and dance spectacle within the red-light district of Kabukicho that closed in March 2020.