YuyuFumo
Silly Ghost Princess
I'm sure most folks on the forums are familiar with Bar U.N. Owen, or the eponymous 'Touhou Bar' located in Tokyo's Kameido region. I very recently had the opportunity to spend a couple nights there, so this thread is a retelling of all that went down: The Good, The Bad, and The Tipsy.
The bar itself is about a ten-minute walk down the road from Kameido station, where you'll find a couple signs for it in front of an apartment complex. Climbing up the stairs and entering Room 203 reveals the mystic land of Bar U.N. Owen, a space that's a bit small but not cramped. It's an apartment bar for sure, but for it to even be a thing in the first place is praiseworthy.
View attachment 12760
The bar's payment system and menu were printed in English on a laminated sheet of paper, which explains that the bar's all-you-can drink and you pay for every hour you're there (starting at 2000¥ and maxing out at 5000¥). Getting a character-themed cocktail cost an additional 300¥ along with food and beer costing extra as well; This may sound bad on paper but depending on how many drinks you get it can save money in the long run. Or, y'know, you can be like me and slam seven cocktails in two hours (more on that later) to pay the equivalent of $30 when something of the like would easily run over $75 in the United States.
There is, however, a way to be even more economical. The bar sells what's essentially a coupon book for 1000¥, which gets you four drinks per book. They also double as a cheeky postcard (?) where you 'undress' one of three character the more drinks you redeem. I was hoping to get Kagerou instead of Momiji, but at least it's better than getting Flandre and cosplaying Jeffery Epstein.
Nowhere on the English menu is this mentioned, it is only written on the Japanese side. It wasn't until after I'd seen some Japanese clients buy some and translating the menu that I was able to point it out to the owner and snag one for myself during my second night. Of course, this is after I'd already bought three drinks, but I wasn't going to let a little binge drinking stop me from getting my money's worth. It's shitty that the owner doesn't make it known to their international audience, but I suppose it's their way of enforcing the 'Gaijin Tax' you see so often in Japan.
During my first night, I was fortunate enough to run into a couple of guys from Poland and Austria, both speaking English. Those three and a half hours I'd spent there flew by in the blink of an eye with how much fun I was having; I'd never actually had the opportunity to talk about Touhou with anyone face-to-face, so being able to do so was monumental. I'd also managed to get in six drinks during that timeframe, which are as follows:
Yuyuko: 1 Part Vodka, 1 Part Cherry Liquer, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Blue Curacao
My first drink of the evening for obvious reasons. I honestly wasn't a big fan of it as the cherry liqueur tasted a lot like cough syrup, but it slowly grew on me as I drank it more.
Yukari: Don't know the exact recipe, but it had grape cream liqueur in it
Surprisingly wasn't that strong, though the grape gave it a light fruity flavor. Middle of the road.
Shinmyoumaru: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Chilled Junmai Sake, 1 Part Kinmya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Best little princess easily had the best drink. Nice and sweet, good balance on the alcohol, and the floral notes at the end made for a fantastic experience. Plus, who doesn't like having it served out of Shimmy's bowl?
Junko: Ditto on recipe
I originally wasn't going to get this, but one of the mates got a Clownpiece and made a comment about how strong it was. I decided to see what the Junko had in store, and it was easily the strongest of all the drinks I got. Not much flavor outside of being mildly sweet and tasting like vodka, another average choice.
Patchouli: Also had grape cream liquor and purple syrup, but the remainder of the base is a mystery (likely kinmya shochu).
A stronger version of the Yukari. Not quite sure why that is seeing as how Patchouli is nowhere near a powerful as Yukari in the games, but I still thought it tasted pretty good. The sugar stars in it were a nice touch.
Eirin: Don't know what the base is, but it's finished with blue curacao and grenadine
One of the nicer looking drinks, but somewhat similar to the Junko I had earlier if it wasn't as strong. Getting the mixture of the syrups at the bottom was a good way to finish both the drink and the night.
I'll also try to describe what my drinking buddies got based on the looks of the drink and their description:
Cirno: Served in flute glass, light blue and fruity. Very weak for a drink, which is shocking for the strongest
Marisa: Served in a tall glass, looked like ginger beer mixed with some sort of spirit and star sprinkles. Tasted like citrus
Suika: Sake and some other alcohol mixed in a sake container. Poured into small sake cups.
Clownpiece: Cocktail glass, blue top with red bottom. Sugar stars floated in between the layers, was said to be a strong drink
Sakuya: Served in flute glass, white top with blue bottom
Reimu: Served in tall glass, white top with red bottom. Described as 'not being strong'
Alice: Cocktail glass, yellow top with green/blue bottom. Mate remarked it to be unexpectedly strong
Our group ordered a couple food items as well (a cheese tray and a pizza for us to split), they were nothing to write home about. It was basically whatever the owner could pull out of package or throw into a toaster oven, and the prices were a little out there as well. Still, satisfying to go with a couple rounds of drinks and talk with the mates. The chopstick papers also have Flandre on them, so I kept mine as a memento of my time there.
Overall, I had a pretty fun time on the first night. Nice folks to talk with, vibing with the feel of the bar, and there was a nice girl at the bar serving drinks. Good things don't last forever, though, and I came back the next night in a noticeably worse mood due to plans falling through earlier in the day. Call me George Thorogood, I was drinking alone as well. My whole reason for returning was to get the recipe for the Shinmyoumaru since I hadn't done so the day before, but my drinking kinda spiraled out of control once I found out about the damn coupon book three cocktails in. Regardless, here's what I got after another Shinmy:
Fujiwara no Mokou: 1 Part Campari Red Bitters, 1 Part Simple Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Blech, this drink was easily my least favorite. It's probably because I didn't like the Campari, but the spices and bitterness really take over the cocktail. Would probably be better with only a half a part.
Flandre: 1 Part Southern Comfort Whiskey Liquer, 1 Part Bacardi White Rum, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Grenadine and Star Sprinkles
I got this drink when the owner misinterpreted a 'Ran' as a 'Flan', but I'm actually glad it happened because this drink was crazy good. The spiced fruit from the whiskey and the sweetness of the rum played super well off one another, and the grenadine towards the bottom only sealed the deal. Third favorite behind the Shinmyoumaru and Ran.
Eiki Shiki: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Calpis
This one was pretty good as well, but it did get pretty sweet towards the bottom due to the liberal amounts of Calpis poured in. The sourness of the yogurt did mesh well with the sweetness of the syrup, though.
NO PHOTO, USE YOUR ILLUSION HERE! Imagine a cocktail glass filled mostly blue liquid and a little bit of yellow liquid at the bottom
Ran Yakumo: 1 Part Kirin Ranmeichu Blueberry Liqueur, 1 Part Bacardi White Rum, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Banana Syrup
This drink has no right going as hard as it does. Super sweet and packed with fruit flavor like a good jam, second favorite behind the Shinmyoumaru.
Yuugi: 1 Part Cointreau Orangle Triple Sec Liqueur, 1 Part Chilled Junmai Sake, 1 Part Kinmya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Kinda just a worse version of a Shinmyoumaru, you trade out the sweet floral notes of the purple syrup for more bitter citrus flavors. Still not bad though, as I did like the orange in the drink and having it out of a sake pan true to Yuugi's character.
Youmu: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu
Yuyuko is the beginning, and Youmu is the end. It's an Eiki Shiki without the Calpis, but it allows the floral notes of the purple syrup to really stand out. Actually tastes like a drink representing a gardener.
I tried asking the owner for the Shinmyoumaru recipe just in case I had gotten anything wrong from my observations, but all that got me was a weird look and him saying that "he doesn't have any recipes", which confirmed my suspicion that most of these cocktails are thrown together on a whim. A lot of them are very same-y for character with the same colors, so I'd personally recommend only getting one drink per character color (i.e. one purple, one yellow, one red, etc.).
And that marks the end of my Touhou Bar journey for now. My overall thoughts on the place? A pretty fun time if you've got some English-speaking friends with you, but still somewhat enjoyable if you're going it alone. The space itself, while not the largest or the cleanest, has a nice vibe to it that makes it worth visiting at least one time. It's a novelty for sure, and I don't really see myself going back unless I've got some folks with me, but I still had a good time regardless.
If you do plan to go there, just be sure to purchase the coupon books and vary your characters for different drinks. Either that or buy some of the ingredients I listed in this post, put some Touhou music on a speaker, and drink with your Fumos for practically the same effect. You could likely make a crap-ton of character drinks (hell, invent your own, that's what the owner did) for dirt cheap if you did it that way, and without the need to travel all the way to Tokyo to boot!
The bar itself is about a ten-minute walk down the road from Kameido station, where you'll find a couple signs for it in front of an apartment complex. Climbing up the stairs and entering Room 203 reveals the mystic land of Bar U.N. Owen, a space that's a bit small but not cramped. It's an apartment bar for sure, but for it to even be a thing in the first place is praiseworthy.
View attachment 12760The bar's payment system and menu were printed in English on a laminated sheet of paper, which explains that the bar's all-you-can drink and you pay for every hour you're there (starting at 2000¥ and maxing out at 5000¥). Getting a character-themed cocktail cost an additional 300¥ along with food and beer costing extra as well; This may sound bad on paper but depending on how many drinks you get it can save money in the long run. Or, y'know, you can be like me and slam seven cocktails in two hours (more on that later) to pay the equivalent of $30 when something of the like would easily run over $75 in the United States.
There is, however, a way to be even more economical. The bar sells what's essentially a coupon book for 1000¥, which gets you four drinks per book. They also double as a cheeky postcard (?) where you 'undress' one of three character the more drinks you redeem. I was hoping to get Kagerou instead of Momiji, but at least it's better than getting Flandre and cosplaying Jeffery Epstein.
Nowhere on the English menu is this mentioned, it is only written on the Japanese side. It wasn't until after I'd seen some Japanese clients buy some and translating the menu that I was able to point it out to the owner and snag one for myself during my second night. Of course, this is after I'd already bought three drinks, but I wasn't going to let a little binge drinking stop me from getting my money's worth. It's shitty that the owner doesn't make it known to their international audience, but I suppose it's their way of enforcing the 'Gaijin Tax' you see so often in Japan.
During my first night, I was fortunate enough to run into a couple of guys from Poland and Austria, both speaking English. Those three and a half hours I'd spent there flew by in the blink of an eye with how much fun I was having; I'd never actually had the opportunity to talk about Touhou with anyone face-to-face, so being able to do so was monumental. I'd also managed to get in six drinks during that timeframe, which are as follows:
Yuyuko: 1 Part Vodka, 1 Part Cherry Liquer, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Blue Curacao
My first drink of the evening for obvious reasons. I honestly wasn't a big fan of it as the cherry liqueur tasted a lot like cough syrup, but it slowly grew on me as I drank it more.
Yukari: Don't know the exact recipe, but it had grape cream liqueur in it
Surprisingly wasn't that strong, though the grape gave it a light fruity flavor. Middle of the road.
Shinmyoumaru: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Chilled Junmai Sake, 1 Part Kinmya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Best little princess easily had the best drink. Nice and sweet, good balance on the alcohol, and the floral notes at the end made for a fantastic experience. Plus, who doesn't like having it served out of Shimmy's bowl?
Junko: Ditto on recipe
I originally wasn't going to get this, but one of the mates got a Clownpiece and made a comment about how strong it was. I decided to see what the Junko had in store, and it was easily the strongest of all the drinks I got. Not much flavor outside of being mildly sweet and tasting like vodka, another average choice.
Patchouli: Also had grape cream liquor and purple syrup, but the remainder of the base is a mystery (likely kinmya shochu).
A stronger version of the Yukari. Not quite sure why that is seeing as how Patchouli is nowhere near a powerful as Yukari in the games, but I still thought it tasted pretty good. The sugar stars in it were a nice touch.
Eirin: Don't know what the base is, but it's finished with blue curacao and grenadine
One of the nicer looking drinks, but somewhat similar to the Junko I had earlier if it wasn't as strong. Getting the mixture of the syrups at the bottom was a good way to finish both the drink and the night.
I'll also try to describe what my drinking buddies got based on the looks of the drink and their description:
Cirno: Served in flute glass, light blue and fruity. Very weak for a drink, which is shocking for the strongest
Marisa: Served in a tall glass, looked like ginger beer mixed with some sort of spirit and star sprinkles. Tasted like citrus
Suika: Sake and some other alcohol mixed in a sake container. Poured into small sake cups.
Clownpiece: Cocktail glass, blue top with red bottom. Sugar stars floated in between the layers, was said to be a strong drink
Sakuya: Served in flute glass, white top with blue bottom
Reimu: Served in tall glass, white top with red bottom. Described as 'not being strong'
Alice: Cocktail glass, yellow top with green/blue bottom. Mate remarked it to be unexpectedly strong
Our group ordered a couple food items as well (a cheese tray and a pizza for us to split), they were nothing to write home about. It was basically whatever the owner could pull out of package or throw into a toaster oven, and the prices were a little out there as well. Still, satisfying to go with a couple rounds of drinks and talk with the mates. The chopstick papers also have Flandre on them, so I kept mine as a memento of my time there.
Overall, I had a pretty fun time on the first night. Nice folks to talk with, vibing with the feel of the bar, and there was a nice girl at the bar serving drinks. Good things don't last forever, though, and I came back the next night in a noticeably worse mood due to plans falling through earlier in the day. Call me George Thorogood, I was drinking alone as well. My whole reason for returning was to get the recipe for the Shinmyoumaru since I hadn't done so the day before, but my drinking kinda spiraled out of control once I found out about the damn coupon book three cocktails in. Regardless, here's what I got after another Shinmy:
Fujiwara no Mokou: 1 Part Campari Red Bitters, 1 Part Simple Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Blech, this drink was easily my least favorite. It's probably because I didn't like the Campari, but the spices and bitterness really take over the cocktail. Would probably be better with only a half a part.
Flandre: 1 Part Southern Comfort Whiskey Liquer, 1 Part Bacardi White Rum, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Grenadine and Star Sprinkles
I got this drink when the owner misinterpreted a 'Ran' as a 'Flan', but I'm actually glad it happened because this drink was crazy good. The spiced fruit from the whiskey and the sweetness of the rum played super well off one another, and the grenadine towards the bottom only sealed the deal. Third favorite behind the Shinmyoumaru and Ran.
Eiki Shiki: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Calpis
This one was pretty good as well, but it did get pretty sweet towards the bottom due to the liberal amounts of Calpis poured in. The sourness of the yogurt did mesh well with the sweetness of the syrup, though.
NO PHOTO, USE YOUR ILLUSION HERE! Imagine a cocktail glass filled mostly blue liquid and a little bit of yellow liquid at the bottom
Ran Yakumo: 1 Part Kirin Ranmeichu Blueberry Liqueur, 1 Part Bacardi White Rum, Shaken w/ Ice, Finished w/ Banana Syrup
This drink has no right going as hard as it does. Super sweet and packed with fruit flavor like a good jam, second favorite behind the Shinmyoumaru.
Yuugi: 1 Part Cointreau Orangle Triple Sec Liqueur, 1 Part Chilled Junmai Sake, 1 Part Kinmya Shochu, Shaken w/ Ice
Kinda just a worse version of a Shinmyoumaru, you trade out the sweet floral notes of the purple syrup for more bitter citrus flavors. Still not bad though, as I did like the orange in the drink and having it out of a sake pan true to Yuugi's character.
Youmu: 1 Part Purple (Lavender or Violet) Syrup, 1 Part Kinmiya Shochu
Yuyuko is the beginning, and Youmu is the end. It's an Eiki Shiki without the Calpis, but it allows the floral notes of the purple syrup to really stand out. Actually tastes like a drink representing a gardener.
I tried asking the owner for the Shinmyoumaru recipe just in case I had gotten anything wrong from my observations, but all that got me was a weird look and him saying that "he doesn't have any recipes", which confirmed my suspicion that most of these cocktails are thrown together on a whim. A lot of them are very same-y for character with the same colors, so I'd personally recommend only getting one drink per character color (i.e. one purple, one yellow, one red, etc.).
And that marks the end of my Touhou Bar journey for now. My overall thoughts on the place? A pretty fun time if you've got some English-speaking friends with you, but still somewhat enjoyable if you're going it alone. The space itself, while not the largest or the cleanest, has a nice vibe to it that makes it worth visiting at least one time. It's a novelty for sure, and I don't really see myself going back unless I've got some folks with me, but I still had a good time regardless.
If you do plan to go there, just be sure to purchase the coupon books and vary your characters for different drinks. Either that or buy some of the ingredients I listed in this post, put some Touhou music on a speaker, and drink with your Fumos for practically the same effect. You could likely make a crap-ton of character drinks (hell, invent your own, that's what the owner did) for dirt cheap if you did it that way, and without the need to travel all the way to Tokyo to boot!
