Here’s How I Got Locked-Up In Tokyo and Thrown Into A Dungeon

Posted on 08/06/2021 Last updated on 10/05/2021

“I was afraid to even step out of the elevator. All around me was darkness and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be embraced by it.”

I thought of many ways to explain where I was and where I was headed, but I believe a few things will suffice: handcuffs, policewomen and dungeons. If you want a totally different kind of Tokyo experience, this place will definitely need to be added to your bucket list.

Japan is famous for its uniquely themed cafes where you can get served sweets and desserts by maids in cute costumes, take lessons from a licensed Ninjas while sipping on a cup of coffee in a Ninja café or even hang out with owls and falcons in Owl Cafes. Today however, we will escape the kawaii (cute) world and enter a totally different part of Tokyo unknown too many. A place where you will experience being locked up in a dungeon, handcuffed by policewomen and be taken as a prisoner for the duration of your stay. Join me as I visit the exciting and dark destination known as : The Lock Up.

Unlike most restaurants or cafes in Tokyo that focuses on the kawaii as expected of Japanese culture, The Lock Up focuses on bringing the unique experience of being in held in a dungeon to its customers. The entrance of the restaurant is a dimly lit waiting room with a single projector that shows its waiting customers images of a small girl and an ogre accompanied by diabolical laughter and blood-curdling screams. Safe to say, I felt like I had entered a haunted house instead of a café.

When your name is called you will be invited to enter a black door. You will feel scared but otherwise intrigued to know what lays behind the door, and I realized that perhaps that is exactly how they want their customers too feel. With your heart racing you enter it and on the other side you will be greeted by a policewoman who asks what your sin is and why you are being arrested today. I said that “I was a thief” and that was reason enough for her to place the cold steel of a heavy handcuff around my wrists and lead me down into a dungeon. All around, you will see guillotines, skulls, skeletons and human-size vampires which were made with excellent workmanship.

After arriving in your prison cell, you will find a dimly lit room with ample seating space that could seat up to 4 people comfortably. They also have other rooms that can accommodate bigger groups of people. You will find a coat hanger and be served complimentary snacks and water while you wait for your meals. You can order your meals from a tablet which has an English menu selection for international guests.

Their meals are mostly comprised of steak, pizza, pasta and hamburgers, but what I like most is that they also have vegetarian choices for our vegan friends. When you’re done choosing your meals all you have to do is to push the confirm button and wait inside your prison cell.

The food is all tasty but with a gory twist to them, like their peach eyeball drink which was served to us inside a flask, and their ‘devil’s fingers’ chicken wings that looked like a dismembered crawling arm. There were cute options too, like the dancing octopus and tacos pizza mummy.

All in all, it was a very unique experience. It’s heart-racing and thrilling from the moment you enter the door to the moment you leave the restaurant. The main highlight for me is that when I told the policewoman that my sin was “theft” she and her coworkers announced to the whole room my entrance and said: “Welcome, the Thief!” in Japanese. I felt that it was mischievous and hilarious as I was not the only one to laugh, but the other guests waiting in the room too. After paying for your order you will be asked to enter a final door with the “Heaven” sign on it.

Will I come back again? Yes, definitely. It’d be fun to go there with friends, especially those who like and appreciate horror. I’m not a horror fan, but I had a good time all the same. I’m sure it’d be a special experience for anyone who decides to visit The Lock Up restaurant.

The Lock Up
Address: 〒160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome−16−3 新宿スク
エアビル 6F – 7F
Schedule: SUN & THU = 5 PM – 1AM / FRI & SAT = 5 PM-3AM
Contact details: 050-7576-5262
Website: https://www.lock-up.jp/tokyo/

All images for this article were provided by Zygel Doll Jamelano, used with permission. An expanded version of this article is also available on Zeefinity.

All other content (text) created by the original author and © Zygel Doll Jamelano / 2021 MUSUBI by Borderlink (used with permission)