Chuo City, Tokyo, Japan｜Akita Dining Namahagé Ginza

Very fun experience! Namagehe came to sit and chat with us! Staff was patient to explain and cater for gluten free meals.

Very friendly and vibrant staff! I only speak basic/elementary Japanese, enough to get around as a tourist and it was enough to make our visit here easy and pleasant. Only one staff member spoke basic English when we visited so I’m sure it helped that I knew a little Japanese. When we first entered I asked staff if anyone spoke English (in Japanese) and they weren’t sure and looked a bit hesitant but they found one person who could speak a little and he was the one who looked after us the whole night. The staff here were really friendly to us, making the effort to learn a little Japanese really goes a long way. My Japanese isn’t perfect but staff accommodated us really well and did so with a smile. I’m guessing the majority of their customers are Japanese so if you do come to this restaurant be prepared to go outside your comfort zone, this isn’t a tourist joint like many in Shibuya/Shinjuku. They do have an English menu but it is very limited and doesn’t show everything on the Japanese menu. Our server was able to translate and recommend dishes on the Japanese menu for us - (to ask for the persons recommendation say: “osusume wa?” , staff will understand what that means). Our server prepared the hot pot for us, adding the ingredients carefully in order/several batches and explained what everything was. We were seated in a private booth with tatami seats which was nice and a cool experience, great for pictures. You get slippers to use when you go to the bathroom because you have to take your shoes off when you sit on the tatami mat. There’s also a call button on the table to call a server. They give you complimentary side dishes when you first sit (included in the service/table charge which is charged per person which is standard so don’t panic if you see you’ve been charged a little extra). The food was great, liked the Akita grilled chicken and tofu the most. The prices are a little pricey, but you’re in Ginza (an expensive area) and it’s a great Japanese experience. When I asked one of the servers where the toilet was (in Japanese) they literally guided/walked me over there. We unfortunately came in between their namahage/spirit/demon/demigod show where the masked person comes out and tries to scare you so we didn’t get to experience that. But as we were leaving, staff did offer to take our pictures and they gave us free restaurant souvenirs. Handheld fans with the restaurants branding to use when it gets hot etc etc. Overall a very positive experience, bookmarked for the next time I’m in Tokyo.

This is a very unique experience in Tokyo. The show is quite funny and I wish I knew more about the origin. Food was tasty 😋 try the raw horse, really good with some onion and soy sauce. We practically ordered everything from the menu.