Roppongi’s Zombie Bar

Deathly pale faces, festering wounds, ragged clothes and dragging feet… whatever’s behind the enduring popularity of zombies, it’s certainly not their looks. First appearing in Haitian folklore, zombies were originally described as corpses that had been reanimated, usually by witch doctors. Nowadays, though, the word tends to conjure images of the flesh-eating monstrosities popularised by American director George A Romero in his series of gruesome horror films that began with Night of the Living Dead (1968). The 19th century may have given birth to such creatures as Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula, but the 20th century brought something far worse to life.

From inmates performing ‘Thriller’ in the Philippines to annual zombie walks in Mexico City, it seems everyone wants in on the action. And now even Tokyo has been infected, with the worst of the outbreak centering on fetish bar Crow in Roppongi. The venue's so-called ‘Zombie Bar’ opens on the last Sunday of every month, at what seems like the most unlikely of places (directly opposite Tokyo Midtown) and at the most unlikely of times (3pm). However, any doubts you may have about whether you’ve gone to the right place will disappear as soon you open the door – and see the limp shapes start to shuffle towards you…

This unusual gathering is the work of Zombiena, a self-proclaimed ‘zombie performance unit’ whose members refer to each other by number rather than name. ‘Zombiena No 1’ (a big fan of Romero’s films) and ‘Zombiena No 2’ (who’s more partial to horror-comedy film Zombie Strippers) started the bar in 2010, letting their mutual love of the walking dead mutate into a regular event. From humble beginnings as a one-off appearance at a friend’s Halloween party, they soon decided to start a zombie night at a snack bar in Araiyakushi, where Zombiena No 1 was working at the time. When the area proved a little too remote to lure the flesh-eating hordes, they upped and moved to Roppongi, where they’ve been entertaining zombie fans since June 2011. Open every month without fail, the Zombie Bar now enjoys a dedicated following of a few dozen people.

Just as I’m starting to think it’s going to be a quiet Sunday afternoon, the clock strikes three, the doors are flung open and willing victims pour in. I’m quickly swept into a ‘zombie welcome hug’ by one of the Zombienas, as the room fills up around me.

If you have a taste for the gory, you’ve come to the right place: grabbing one of the few remaining seats and glancing at the cocktail menu, I spot delights such as Zombie no Ikichi (zombie blood) and Zombie Tanju (zombie bile), while the names on the snack list – Zombie no Te no Nikomi (stewed zombie hands) and Durai Chikubi to Durai Nomiso no Moriawase (selection of dried nipples and brains) – could probably upset even the strongest of stomachs. Food and drink, however, isn’t the only thing your money can buy – there’s also the option of a zombie makeover for the bargain price of ¥500.

Freshly made-up zombies enjoy some zombie cocktails

Ten minutes and a trowel-full of make-up later, I’ve been transformed – and just like the rest of the freshly reanimated, I’ve developed a new personality to match my new look. People who were enjoying a quiet cocktail a few moments ago are now staggering around the room groaning, wailing and occasionally breaking character to snap a few pictures with friends. It’s a similar idea to that of a joso (transvestite) pub, but there’s considerably less effort involved, and women can also take part in the fun.

Chatting to Zombiena No 1, I mention how much Japanese people seem to like zombies. ‘It’s not just the Japanese, it’s the whole world – everybody loves zombies!’ she replies. Indeed, when the Zombienas organise get-togethers in places such as Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Ni-chome, all kinds of people join in, including Western folk who apparently ‘look really good as zombies – frightening and cool.’

Left: Zombies go for a stroll in Yoyogi Park… Right: …then hit the streets of Tokyo at night

After a day spent messing about as an undead flesh-eater, it’s time to scrub off the make-up and head home – complete with proof of ‘Zombie Association of Japan’ membership. However, it dawns on me that this kind of silly fun might be good for us adults every now and then. There’s no easier way to become accepted into a group than to become a zombie for the day – after all, in the world of the undead there are no gender, nationality or language barriers to worry about (zombies can’t talk anyway). In Japan, a country with a long history of cremation, the idea of corpses rising from the grave might well have been rejected as a foreign concept – the fact that zombies have been accepted so readily just goes to show how contagious they really are.

A regular customer begins her zombie transformation

Zombiena No 1 puts her make-up skills to good use

And there we have it: a happy new convert to the zombie cause

It takes less than 5 minutes to give someone a convincing flesh wound

Not to be left out, a male customer gets in on the zombie action

No self-respecting zombie would leave home without her brain-handbag

For an extra ¥500, customers can take part in a flesh-ripping session

And the plague continues to spread: at my ultra-kinky Shinjuku Sex Museum exhibition, which runs at Shinjuku-za until the end of January, there’s an Official Zombie Bar every Saturday afternoon. Gallery-goers can undergo an undead makeover, have a zombie cocktail, and get their picture taken with a Zombiena member and various life-sized erotic exhibits. Miss this chance and there probably won’t ever be another one, though you can catch the first Zombie Bar of the year at Crow on January 27.

The ultimate in erotic-grotesque entertainment

Shinjuku Sex Museum runs until January 27. Zombie Bar is held on the final Sunday of each month at Night Gallery Café Crow (2F, 7-8-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; http://cafecrow.net).

Kyoichi Tsuzuki’s official website: www.roadsiders.com