Ninja Akasaka
Tonight was quite an experience - definitely the first time we’ve ever been invited into the secret lair of ninjas and been invited to dinner with them! I located Ninja Akasaka some way or another and I was immediately intrigued, even if it did seem like a bit of a tourist trap. It didn’t help when we asked the concierge to help us make reservations - he said “oooohhh, ninja?” as though he meant to say “oooohhh, stupid American.” He was kind enough, however, to make the reservation, even if he did go home and tell his wife about the stupid things we spend our money on.
The subway ride to Akasaka was a short one, and we arrived early which gave us a chance to get lost in a few alleys. The amazing thing about this city is that it seems down nearly every little street is an alley full of shops, restaurants, pachinko places and other surprises. We’ve had more fun just wandering alleys then we’ve had on some other vacations full of planned activities.
When the time came, we headed over to Ninja Akasaka, which is super top secret other than a few small signs on the front of the building. The only thing you can see when you enter the door is a small set of stairs and a woman standing at a podium. She welcomes you and says that a ninja will guide you to your table. With a clap of the hands a secret panel slides open to reveal what I can only assume is a real live ninja! The ninja tells you that he will take you to his secret training grounds, but that it will be dark and dangerous along the way. We were totally up for the challenge, so we followed him down the stairs.
The path to our table was a perilous one, with narrow and low hallways, secret passages and a missing bridge. We came upon an area where the stairs end at a drop down to some water with a treasure chest in it. The ninja said he would use his powers to get us across, and with some top secret ninja words he summoned a bridge that lowered down just long enough for us to get across. Once we were safely on the other side, the bridge pulled back up and closed us safely in the secret ninja lair.
I had requested a private room, so after passing through a beautifully themed city of stone walls, torches and second story wooden rooms, we arrived at our private room for two. We are connoisseurs of themed environments, and we were both blown away. The detail was amazing, and from the lighting to the sound effects to the materials used to build the city, it was all top notch. It may very well be a tourist trap, but it was a tourist trap that we really enjoyed.
Dinner was excellent, I had lobster and Sommer had pork. We both ordered vegetable salad “ninja style.” We weren’t sure what that meant exactly, but when they arrived at the table with what looked like dessert, we were seriously confused. Once you broke into the dessert it revealed salad in the center and the breading around the outside became croutons. Pretty dang cool. During dinner another ninja came in to perform a series of tricks, a combination of cards and slight of hand. He was very good, and very funny - I didn’t expect to be entertained, so this was a very pleasant surprise.
The meal wasn’t exactly inexpensive, but it was absolutely worth the price. There was no extra charge for the private room, no charge for the entertainment and no super secret ninja charges. All in all we had a great time.
