Back in 2015, I went to my first Robot Restaurant show in Kabukicho, located in Shinjuku ward, Tokyo. I had a great time and wrote an extensive review of Robot Restaurant here.
But has anything changed since 2015?
For one, it’s much crowded than before, which is good for the establishment but getting front row seats are not as easy as before.
Tickets are much more accessible and cheaper through Klook and Voyagin. As back then, you had to get a coupon through a magazine or online to take $10 off. Now, you can save much more money through the two sites I mentioned. And this includes a bento box and gift.
So, you are getting a much better deal today than a few years ago, where $75 was considered a discount. Now one can spend around $45-$55 through the above listed sites and that comes with food and a gift.
I also noticed outdoors that things have changed a little.
Now the location offers a Gira Gira Girls, which I think is a burlesque show, so the place is divided from Robot Restaurant and the other show.
But it’s time to get in line and redeem your ticket (give them your printout from the sites that gave the better discount) and select the food or drink that you want, if you did purchase it.
The waiting area is still the same with the guys jamming to an acoustic guitar and an accompanying band.
There was a bit of a wait, which I don’t recall having to wait in the past. I believe that because there are more performers, one has to wait as the performers get dressed to prepare for the next scene and everyone uses the same elevator. Of course, the performers have priority, but noticed the staff organization was on point in getting them to the performing area. So, it was interesting to see how things were operated this time around.
Once you go inside, you can start getting your food. And the restaurant is no doubt capitalizing on the boba/tapioca trend!
No one really goes to Robot Restaurant for the food, but the fact they do offer food and beverages. Even better that it came with the ticket I purchased from Klook. What a deal!
As the show began, there are a lot of things that were evident to me.
Here are the key differences from when I went in 2019 compared to 2015:
- In the waiting room and the viewing area, where the musicians played, there was an emphasis in showcasing the sexy women of the restaurant. This has now changed. Now what is focused is on the prime cities to visit in Tokyo.
- In 2015, the ratio of women performers vs. male performers were probably 90% female to 10% male. In 2019, it seems like its 60/40. This was evident throughout the performance as so much in the past was focused on the female performers, giving them a name but now, it’s changed to feature both female and male performers.
- The show is now more family friendly. Back then, there was a lot of focus on women who were showing a lot more skin. Clothing is much more covered up when compared to 2015.
- There is more focus on creating a family friendly show, women are more covered up than in 2015. A lot more focus on performances and better robotics.
- The likeness of animal characters have changed, so they look less like their movie counterpart.
But I enjoyed the show. Granted, the first time is always special but seeing how Robot Restaurant evolved over the years is quite interesting and seeing how the business plan has shifted towards more family-oriented performances, definitely no problem for parents bringing their children.
