The mysterious “Amazon Club” in Yokohama, near Bashamichi station, is another oddball eaterie I recommend checking out. That is, if you can find the joint- the restaurant is hidden on a quiet, innocuous street, in the basement of an office building. Upon entering, you find yourself in a deserted and nondescript, old-fashioned waiting area, which is decorated in a way not dissimilar to the hotel in “The Shining,” where are small sign instructs you to speak into an antique black telephone, and then the staff will sneak out of a hidden door to usher you inside.
It’s not clear what the hell the theme of the restaurant is supposed to be, (as far as I can see it has nothing to do with the Amazon river.) I’m told it’s an attempt to replicate the spirit of the secretive hideouts that US soldiers frequented in the fifties. It’s a dimly lit, cavernous place full of unusual decorative objects, like Betty Boop statues and pickled snakes in laboratory jars. A large cage containing a giant green statue of the Creature from the Black Lagoon was hanging precariously over my table. A trip to the toilets involves navigating your way through numerous hidden doors, which you have to press switches and buttons to open. (This novelty can wear thin if you’re busting for a piss!)
The food and drinks were tasty, reasonably priced, and the eclectic menu included such exotic delights as cactus and scorpion, which you can enjoy while marveling at the bewildering decor.
All of this adds up to yet another typically demented and fun night out in Japan.
Info:
The Amazon Club
B1 Yokohama Bldg, 3-9 Kaigandori,
Naka-Ku, Yokohama-Shi 231-0002
Tel: 045 664 6101
Website: The Amazon Club
September 18, 2007 at 11:20 pm |
I’d probably pee myself …..the buttons and switches not a good idea!!
September 19, 2007 at 8:41 am |
Luckily I had that problem on the way back from the bathroom, not on the way in!
September 20, 2007 at 11:49 pm |
Good other wise you would have to look for another exit after “a little accident”
Honestly…when I drink beer I go to the toilet so often..I think I would just die!!!
September 22, 2007 at 12:23 am |
You could always pee in the pickled snake jar.
September 22, 2007 at 9:15 pm |
So what tasted better, the cactus or the scorpion?
PS Roaf – Are you getting paid at the moment? I saw a headline here that said there was a major problem with foreign English teachers in Japan at the moment?
September 22, 2007 at 11:45 pm |
Sounds totally hilarious!
Though, very agreed, the hidden bathroom while burstin’ and tanked sounds like they’d end up with a load of damp spots on the flooring.
September 23, 2007 at 3:48 pm |
Bruce, yeah I got paid the other day, thankfully (but as usual I’ve spent most of it already!)
October 15, 2007 at 6:09 pm |
[...] The mysterious “Amazon Club” is an oddball eaterie which attempts to replicate the spirit of the secretive hideouts that US soldiers frequented in the fifties. It’s a dimly lit, cavernous place full of unusual and exotic decorative objects, like statues of Betty Boop and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and pickled snakes in laboratory jars. Find out more here. [...]
February 24, 2010 at 12:12 pm |
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