Review

Space Punch: a hallucinogenic blend of fruit juice and alcohol, a bunch of fives for the universe's most dastardly villain, or a bar in Ebisu, Tokyo, in which the theme is sci-fi toys? Several shelves near the entrance to Space Punch are crammed with cult toys and sci-fi games; the overkill of figurines, statuettes and novelties continue along the entire length of the bar, underneath of which are orange lights that give it a sense of futuristic Tokyo's department stores.

When wandering around Ebisu's backstreets, Space Punch is obvious by its blue, neon hue and anomalous position within its surroundings. The bar's airliner, tube-like design, in which the curved, metallic interior is reminiscent of an Anderson Shelter, gives its façade the appearance of a cheap gimmick used by tacky photographic stores, whereby their fascia resembles a large camera, its entrance the lens.

A small mirrorball hangs in the bar, a large TV shows music videos and concerts, lava lamps mutate, and along the steel wall opposite the bar are several small two-seat tables, each having its own tiny, round TV screen built into the wall. The only ornamentation in the bar, other than the children's toys, is another toy designed for adults: an inflatable woman hangs on the wall with only the salient parts: there is no head, no legs or no arms, just a torso.

Sitting at one of the red PVC barstools allows unobstructed access to the selection on toys within your reach, although there are some sick minds at work here: Yoda crouches within a miniature shopping trolley, using the Force to direct its journey around the counter, yet behind him and up-close is Han Solo, evidently buggering the Jedi Master! (A scene I obviously missed in The Empire Strikes Back.) ET watches over the Ghostbuggy from Ghostbusters; Spiderman sidles alongside Men In Black's Agent J, Will Smith looking not too dissimilar to the nearby Gremlin; Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, compares dieting tips with Jabba the Hutt, whose green lackey, Greedo, compares skin tones with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Taz increases his starch intake by munching on Mr Potato Head; Mini-Me, Dr Evil's miniature sidekick, looks scarier than the characters from Monsters Inc.; and all the while, Edvard Munch's Scream stands aghast at Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Inevitably customers bring their children into Space Punch to amuse themselves whilst their parents have a few drinks, so don't be surprised if, when sitting at the bar, you're challenged to a few games of the Taz pop-up challenge - each taking a turn to push down a tooth until his jaws snap closed. But it's not just the children who get hours of pleasure from these delicate, and perhaps valuable, pieces of memorabilia; large, drunken hands can cause great damage to fine, delicate plastic.

This is a unique bar that must be experienced while it still exists.

Review by mr_psm