Swallowtail Butler Cafe

Hello everyone!

(Advertisement on Otome Road for "Swallowtail")

This time I wanted to document another adventure I had a while back (and my semi-reoccurring experiences too): Dining at Swallowtail Butlers Café. Japan is known for having a variety of interesting ‘cafes’ including Cat, Dog, Owl, and Maid cafes just to name a few. Perhaps the most well-known are the “Maid Cafes”, where your waitresses literally become your ‘maid’ the second you walk into the café. This kind of café has some variations, but generally, all of the waitresses dress in Maid Uniforms, address the customer as “Master” or “Madam/Mistress/Princess”, and often your food follows some kind of style, be it cute or fine dining. These cafes have seen much success and have been popular in Japan for years.

So in a way, it only makes sense that a “Butler Café” would be the next thing, especially with the popularity of Butler-themed inspired television shows, books, animes, movies, etc. The “Butler Café” has had a hard time starting off, with several of them crashing and burning after their initial openings. Customers complained that it was too ‘cheesy’, Host Club like (Not Ouran Host Club like, Actual Host Club like), or awkward. Finding the correct approach to creating a successful “Butler Café” was a challenge.

(Photo of the entrance from the "Swallowtail" booklet)

“Swallowtail” is perhaps the result of perfect execution in the creation of a “Butler Café”. Why? Well, because it’s not just a “café”, it’s "Fine Dining". “Swallowtail” is located on Otome Road in Ikebukuro, just down from Sunshine City. Honestly, you would likely miss it if you weren’t looking for it or were unaware of its existence (I did several times to be honest). However, it’s likely that this is intended. Before going to Swallowtail, one must make a reservation (likely about 2 weeks prior to said date of attendance). Its secluded location thus is likely to keep from an unprecedented amount of customers coming without a reservation.

(Entrance from a distance)

(Entrance sign)

(And then down the steps you go to the cafe!)

Unlike its female-counterpart, “Swallowtail” instead of the more common, flirty-cutesy approach, takes a more sophisticated and elegant take on how to entertain their guests. Décor within the location is based off of the Victorian Era with some modern updates. In some ways, it reminded me of stepping into the 1^st class section of the RMS Titanic. There are elegant displays of silverware, only the best mahogany wood adorning the walls, beautiful roses and chandeliers, curtains of lace, and the classic old books sitting on the shelves. The lighting is dim, but not hard on the eyes. Perfect. It is quiet save for the hushed conversations between guests as they eat their food and the occasional bell for a butler. When one pictures this in their mind, it’s easy to understand why one needs a reservation. If too many people entered, one could see how such an illusion of time might shatter. (Oh, and no pictures of the inside are allowed, save for of one’s food!)

(Shot of the interior from the "Swallowtail" booklet)

The first time I went to Swallowtail, I went with my friend Katey. Going together, we went down the steps to the entrance, waited outside for a moment before going in and being greeted by our waiters, who were of course now, our butlers. Their greeting was “Welcome back, Princesses” (English translation) with a humble bow, and it was about the only similar thing to it’s Maid-Café counter part. (Believe it or not, they ask for what one wishes to be addressed as when you make a reservation; princess seemed like a good option). After this occurs, bare in mind, we are here trying to keep straight faces and not blush beet red, not because it’s funny, but because really, how does one respond to that?

They take our coats and lead us into the main area, which is stunning. Upon seeing it, I remember thinking ‘I want to shoot costumes here’ because it was just that beautiful. We’re led over to our seats and are given two menus, both in English and in Japanese. When our Butlers finally leave us be, we can breath a sigh of relief that we can giggle slightly at what we have gotten ourselves into. I remember the second time I went, our butler spoke some English as well which was very helpful too. So if you're not fluent in Japanese and feel more comfortable with English, feel free to request a butler who speaks some English.

A bit now about the food. It was the best food I’ve ever eaten in a long time. One meal here is about 50 USD, so you better believe that it better be good and it was. For that you get a 4 course meal, each plate coming out elegantly and in perfect display of each dish. Fish, chicken, vegetables, soup, salad, parfaits, the list goes on of what there is for each Dinner Set. Each Dinner Set is named using names like “Elizabeth, Catherine, etc.”. They serve a variety of Juice, Tea, and Wine. And of course, desserts, which were by the way, simply divine. Needless to say, their menu, while expensive, is worth every yen. It is another part of why Swallowtail must be so successful.

(Shots of some of the menu choices from the "Swallowtail" booklet)

As your mouth waters a bit from the various options above, let me go on to discuss another reason, and perhaps the main reason why “Swallowtail” is so popular. Their butlers. Their butlers are the difference between dressing up like a butler and being a butler. They do not merely put on a tailcoat bought from a second hand shop, slick back their hair, wear a pair of costume store gloves and call themselves butlers. Each and every one of their tailcoats are made of high end material, are tailored, embroidered with the Swallowtail Emblem (a butterfly), and worn neatly, respectably, and properly. I was even impressed to see the beautiful stripe down the side of their pants. Every part of their outfits was beautiful and stunning. To top it all off, they were all well groomed men. What I mean by that is that they made sure that their presence was impeccable. They keep their faces from showing any signs of weariness. They stood with the grace of one waiting upon a queen. And for goodness sakes, it must have taken them all at least half an hour to get their hair to be so neat and incredibly stylish, reserved, and perfect.

(Shot of the butlers from the "Swallowtail" booklet)

But perhaps even more amazing was that their butlers not only looked the part, but they acted it too. They were charismatic. They were knowledgeable. They were professional. They were gentlemen. It was not like a host club where the waiters’ job entailed that they hit upon/flirt with the women. They were there to wait upon and allow their guests to be at ease and enjoy a quiet, relaxing meal. All of this allowed myself and my friends to enjoy our meal, chit chat amongst ourselves, and at the end, be given a beautiful fairwell (and get a nice cake to go too!).

(Shots of the cake from "Swallowtail" both with and without candles)

So how does Swallowtail work for the English customer? It’s not too bad. The English menu is excellent. Their butlers are not all fluent in English, but they try when they can to help the customer. Sometimes, you do have to just take a guess at what they are saying though. They speak somewhat formally, so even with my Japanese I did have some trouble understanding them at times. But otherwise, it was still a smooth and enjoyable dining experience (especially the second time around when our butler knew a good bit of English as well). Perhaps the most difficult part is just making the reservation online. While they do have a guide in English, I still recommend using Google Chrome's automatic translate to assist you if you are not familiar with Japanese.

Now let's say you can't make it to the cafe. You only have a limited amount of time in Tokyo, but you want to experience it, if only a bit. Since opening, Swallowtail has opened numerous small shops around Tokyo (some are even small cafes, minus their butlers though). Across the street from the café, Swallowtail also operates a Gift Shop with CD Albums, DVDs, Tea, Cakes, Scones, etc. available for sale. It generally has one or two butlers on staff and is the only store I know of where they do so.

(The outside of the Swallowtail Gift Shop located directly opposite the Cafe itself)

(The inside of the Gift Shop from the "Swallowtail" booklet)

Swallowtail has also for some time had a little stand, known as "Patisserie Swallowtail" outside of the Ikebukuro "Tokyu Hands", located on Sunshine City Street (通り) on the way to Sunshine City from Ikebukuro Station. It's primary function is for selling cakes and desserts.

Another stand that is attached to the Swallowtail franchise is in the new Radio Hall (Rajio Kaikan or  ラジオ会館) in Akihabara. This one is new to my knowledge as Radio Hall just recently re-did their entire store which they had been growing out of for quiet some time. It is on the second or third floor I believe within K-Books. If you are googling where it is on your map, type it in Japanese because you probably won't find it if you type in "Radio Hall". To give one an idea though it is outside of the Akihabara Electric Town Exit on the left side across the street.

(Patisserie Swallowtail in Akihabara)

My favorite outside of Swallowtail itself however, is the cafe run in Shinjuku's Marui Annex Department Building on the 6th floor. If you're a fan of gothic or steampunk styled clothes, you can browse around at the clothing stores on that shop and then grab yourself a scone from the cafe which is located to the right of the up elevator (if you are coming up it that is, not down towards it). While you can sit down inside of you want, you can also get things to go ("mochikaeri" - 持ち帰り), though I don't recommend eating what you buy as you look around on that floor.

(Patisserie Swallowtail Annex - Shinjuku)

(Cute little Scone from the Annex)

Finally most recently the Swallowtail line has expanded into the cosplay supply market, popular within Japan, with both online shops as well as several in person shops through out the country including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sendai, Kanagawa, Hyogo, Hokkaido, and in Chiba. I can't say much about these as I have not been to them, but their online shop has an impressive selection of wigs, colored contacts, shoes, and other cosplay supplies. You can visit that shop here: http://swallowtail-wig.com/ (warning though, it is all in Japanese and they only accept yen).

Appropriately it would seem then, Swallowtail is also known for doing collaborations with other major well known brands and pop culture shows. Most recently, it's collaboration menu was with the "Black Butler: Book of Murder" anime (Kuroshitsuji / 黒執事 : Book of Murder) including a Phantomhive dinner option as well as several desserts available at their various smaller shops. The collaboration menus change about every two months give or take and they have various specials that they change as well. Overall though, their products are general a nice way to take a piece of Swallowtail home with you or indulge a bit something you find enjoyable (chocolate, am I right?).

(Left: Collaboration Menu Poster, Right: Chocolate Top Hat Cake Set)

(Chocolate Top Hat Cake; image courtesy of Swallowtail)

(Bromide that accompanied the cake)

In conclusion, I highly recommend visiting Swallowtail. It has perfected the art that is a "Butler Cafe" and is worth the visit. For those interested in Swallowtail, you can check out and reserve a table on their website here: http://www.butlers-cafe.jp/  (note: the website is in Japanese, BUT, if you open it in Google Chrome, you can hit the translate button in the upper right corner and it will help you significantly if you don't know Japanese). It is a fabulous experience and one that will not disappoint, my number one favorite place to dine in Tokyo.

(Swallowtail Pamphlet)

Till Next Time!

The Alucard Show

Wow! Just wow! That was fantastic. Where to begin?

Alright, I'll begin with this. What on earth am I talking about? I'm talking about my experience last night seeing "The Alucard Show".

(Promo poster for the show; credit: Tumblr)

What is that you ask? "The Alucard Show" is a musical directed by Masahiko Kawahara with choreography by MIKIKO and music by Atsushi that has gained much popularity and a bit of cult following here in Japan, known as "Alucadnia". The demand to see it was so great after its first run back in 2013, that they brought it back for a re-run in 2014! Fans prior to the second showing all posted photos of themselves doing Alucard's pose (perhaps made even more popular due to Mangaka Yana Toboso's drawing rendition of Alucard back in 2013) to cheer on the cast and crew and thank them for coming back to give everyone another chance to see the show. So of course, when I heard that it was coming back for another run, I quickly bought my tickets as soon as I could! There was no way I was missing out on this.

(Vlad as depicted by Yana Toboso, "Black Butler" Mangaka, from her blog back in 2013) 

Starring names like Silvia Grab (シルビアグラブ), Takeshi Kongochi (金剛地武志), Yasuko Mitsuura (光浦靖子), Takuya Uehara (植原卓也), and Yuya Matsushita (松下優也) (and yes, the latter of which is why I wanted to go), Alucard tells the story of Maria, a pop idol attempting to make a comeback by hiring 6 new backup dancers, when all of a sudden her show is stolen from her by the mysterious "Vlad". Now with 7 members, the group "Alucard" is created.

(Alucard Pass with the seven members of "Alucard")

(2014 Commercial for The Alucard Show's second run)

At its core, "The Alucard Show" is a vampire story. But it's clear that the reasons for its popularity stem from far more than just that. I had a vague idea of what I was getting into when I went to see the Alucard Show (I was also once again the only foreigner in the audience and while I could go on about why that is a crime because the show is so good, I won't). I had pre-ordered the CD (available here) and had been listening to it since it arrived in early November, but that was nothing compared to seeing this musical live.

(CD Cover)

(Pre-Order Poster Gift; Envelope Reads "Dear Alucadnia)

Alucard is impressive for numerous reasons. The first of which that stands out to me though, is the dancing and choreography. With a moving stage, the dancers moved with such vigor and in such sync, it was hard to decide where to focus your attention at times. You wanted to see it all! Dancers back-flipped, rolled across the floor, and demonstrated various styles of dance through out the musical (I could pick out pop, hip-hop, and classic, to name a few). It was captivating with every turn.

(Check out the 2013 Commercial for some of the choreography work!)

The second reason that Alucard probably stands out is that its style, it's roots as a vampire story, something that classically speaking, derives to mind old decrepit buildings, the drinking of blood, monsters, and death, is woven so well into a "modern" world, where fans gather to meet their idols, posters of Alucard spread across the land, and the two music styles (classic and new) are combined so tastefully.

(Second depiction of "The Alucard Show" by Yana Toboso)

(Shot from the show; Credit to sumabo.jp)

Being a costume person, I also loved their costuming department for numerous reasons. The costume changes were quick and effective. While the character of Maria had some pretty fantastic costumes, in particular, the 6 members and Vlad perhaps had the best. The most stylish, the most in sync with the ampire feel, and incorporating the modern street flair that made their outfits so appealing and interesting to look at. They were something that any girl would love her boyfriend to wear. Vlad's were stunning as he goes from a random man on the street, to a pop idol and the leader of a Vampire legion, always maintaining that feeling of classic 'Dracula' in some form.

(Even their Premium Seat gift, a special rendition of Hello Kitty was decked out in Vampire gear! I'm not much of one for Hello Kitty but this thing is super cute!)

All of the characters had interesting personalities too. The first character that I greatly enjoyed was that of Maria. Maria makes a compelling character as she seems to be the only one unswayed by Alucard's beauty and appeal. While normally Maria's character might have annoyed me due to her sense of entitlement at the beginning of the story, watching her fall and feeling helpless and betrayed made her a much more intriguing character. You wanted to root for her, but at the same time, watching Vlad, you sat there wondering if she was fighting a loosing battle, if he was insurmountable, or even if he had somehow gotten you under his spell (or rather charmed you over to his side) as well.

(With a curtain like this prior to the show, how can you already not be charmed by it? And yes, those were candlesticks off to the sides.)

And speaking of Vlad, I must talk about his character for a moment. Vlad was a brilliant creation of a character (and definitely my favorite). Vlad maintains silence the majority of the time, save for when he sings. The only times he does talk, you can tell that he is holding all the cards, knowing and understanding everything going on. He holds a power unlike any of the other characters present. Matsushita's performance as him was also phenomenal, as he kept a refined, sophisticated air about him, while also maintaining an air of danger and mystery. Watching Vlad, you could tell he was amused by watching people follow him for reasons they could not understand. And while he was often aloof and mysterious, he had a personality that felt very real, like a young man holding the world in his hands and knowing it too.

(Mid-performance shot of Vlad; Credit to sumabo.jp)

I often felt that Matsushita's voice literally breathed life into the whole show as well, as in some ways, it felt like a medium for connecting the whole show, even the audience, together (probably intentionally so too). It took the show from a great show to a spectacular one. Take all of that and add in the stellar performances by Silvia, Takeshi, and Yasuko, and you really have a compelling story with music and dancing that takes the whole show to another level of entertainment. I won't spoil the ending, but needless to say, it's good. Really good.

(Check out the 2014 New Song here which features Matsushita's voice prominently)

The Alucard Show is currently showing at the AiiA Theater Tokyo until the 24th of November. As it stands, the show is now completely sold out (rightly so, might I add).  However, the DVD is available for pre-order on ASmart (here) and will be released in March of 2015.

(Sign Announcing the DVD Release at AiiA Theater)

The theatre itself was a good location between Harajuku (原宿) and Shibuya (渋谷) stations on the Yamanote line (山手線). It is well run and has a style that matches that of Alucard's. My only complaint was that the seats were not the most comfortable. They were okay, but not great like that of Bunkamura's Cocoon's or Blue Theater's. The pro of the seats? No matter where you were, you were sure to get a great view of the show. Literally.

(The entrance to the AiiA Theater Tokyo)

(Side view of the Theatre)

Goods were sold on location and it was honestly hard to show self control for most of the things available (I thanked my lucky stars that I only had cash on me).

(Goods Stand)

(Some of the Alucard Goods)

(Bromides of Uehara and Matsushita)

Anyway, if you have the chance to go to "The Alucard Show" you will not be disappointed and if you have the chance to view it on DVD, don't debate. Do it. Watch it. It literally is a work of art, appealing to both the classic lovers and new generation of Musical goers alike. Till next time!

(My shot for Alucard)

Ikebukuro Advertising "Book of Circus" and "Book of Murder"

Hey everyone!

So, since coming to Tokyo (東京), one of my favorite spots is Ikebukuro (池袋). While I will write more about Ikebukuro another time, I had to post the below about a giant ad that I ran across way back in July.

Three Ads for the wonderfulness that was (and is) "Black Butler: Book of Circus" (Season 3), "Black Butler: Book of Murder Part 1" (OVA), and "Black Butler: Book of Murder Part 2" (OVA) (the latter of which will be released November 15th in select theatres).

(Summary of Book of Murder's premise)

For those who don't know, Black Butler (黒執事, romanized as Kuroshitsuji) is originally a manga written by Yana Toboso (枢 やな). It follows the story of young Ciel Phantomhive, an Earl in the late 1800's England, who serves as the Queen's "Watchdog", alleviating her Majesty's worries, particular with the help of his demonic butler, Sebastian Michaelis. The "Book of Circus" Anime follows the "Noah's Ark Circus" story line within the manga (a fan favorite) and the two "Book of Murder" OVAs follow the "Phantomhive Manor Murders" story line which takes place directly after. The whole series is one I highly recommend and in my top favorites for Japanese Manga/Anime.

(Left: Ciel and Sebasitan)

(Right: Joker, a popular character in "Book of Circus" played by Mamoru Miyano 宮野真守)

(Left: Sebastian, Right: Ciel)

I saw this right after my first trip to Swallowtail Butler Cafe, so needless to say, the whole night had a Butler-theme going on. But I had to take some pictures of this because really: This was in the MIDDLE of IKEBUKURO station. And it was HUGE. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Answer: It's VERY cool.

Forgive my poor pose up against this thing. I couldn't resist. Anyway, it's just another reason I love Japan. Giant advertisements for awesome shows in the middle of the super busy Ikebukuro Station. 

Till next time guys! 

Okayama Castle

Hello again!

I wanted to share one of my first adventures from living in Japan today, primarily my first trip to a castle, specifically, the Okayama Castle. I went in the middle of winter, so the weather was clear and crisp. No snow, but cold enough for it. I ended up taking a bus since I didn’t have a real map or internet access and didn’t want to get lost, but I found that it is possible to walk there from Okayama Station (岡山駅).

Okayama Castle or 岡山城 (Okayama-Jo) is known as one of Japan's famous "Crow Castles" due to it's black exterior. There were also many beautiful young ladies dressed in 着物 (Kimono) for 成人式 (Seijin Shiki; A Coming-of-Age Ceremony for young adults who reach the age of 20 and gain full rights of citizenship within Japan) when I went with beautiful white, fur wraps. In contrast to the castle, they stood out like beautiful white pearls.

Okayama Castle’s exterior, from what I've been told, has a high resemblance to its original design when it was first built. The interior however has mostly been redesigned like a museum, housing many things from the era of Okayama Castle’s glory, a beautiful view at the top, and a small little gift shop inside. I was slightly disappointed by this because I really wanted to see a castle with a preserved interior as well, but there was one thing that made up for this. One of my favorite things about the Castle was the top, where you could look out over all of Okayama. You also could see a wonderful view of the mote/river and Korakuen (後楽園), a park adjacent to the mote, which I visited after my visit to Okayama. 

While it wasn’t technically the season for Korakuen, it was still very beautiful and scenic.

One of the things that I remember most about Korakuen was where I first saw the covers around trees that protected against birds and bugs trying to destroy the trunks. There was also a small little area with beautiful birds that you could see and in the pond, you could clearly see the massive Koi fish.

Okayama was a very interesting place itself. From the window of my hotel, I could see Bullet Trains or Shinkansen (新幹線) coming and going from Okayama Station (which by the way, had my favorite waffle shop Manneken that everyone needs to go to at least once when you visit Japan). You could go shopping many malls and there were back streets you could walk down and find good food in wherever you went. 

(forgive my low quality iTouch photo here)

Okayama was also the first place I experienced the beauty of Fabric stores in Japan. They even had the impossible to find metallic gold bias tape, which, if you sew, you know that can be a hassle to find in the States. In many shopping malls they also had jewelry making supply shops, something I didn’t expect. I’m not much of a jewelry maker, but I was so amazed by it I had to take a picture of one of them.

Finally, much like in the States, there was always a book store to be found nearby. However, unlike stores in Japan, they also had nice little displays of Black Butler (黒執事 ) related books in prep for the upcoming movie at the time. Marketing done right.

And those were my adventures in Okayama! Overall, a very nice place to visit with a beautiful Castle (and who doesn’t love a castle?). See you next time!