Shirokuma cafe (Polar Bear Cafe)

Today I’ll be introducing you to Shirokuma Cafe, an anime character cafe that requires no reservation, no balloting and walk-ins are welcome. [UPDATED IN SEPTEMBER 2019]

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SHIROKUMA’S CAFE! (Polar Bear Cafe!)

Back in June 2015, my travel mate (a fellow anime/manga enthusiast) included this cafe in our travel itinerary and told me in no uncertain words that we MUST visit it during our trip. As I’ve only just started watching the anime series (hey, better late than never!) at the time, I was definitely game to go!

After all, an anime-inspired cafe that requires no reservations and we could just walk-in? Who can resist? Plus I might get to meet Shirokuma-san and dare I say it, Grizzly-san! ^ ^

Polar Bear Cafe (Shirokuma Cafe) — Yup, it is literally a cafe owned by a Polar Bear! (*Well at least in the manga/anime it is.*)

Polar Bear’s Cafe official name in Japanese is [ しろくまカフェ in TAKADANOBABA ]or [Shirokuma Cafe in Takadanobaba].

And Yes, it’s inspired from the manga/anime!

This is officially recognized as a character cafe for the anime series (meaning they did all the proper legal work to set up this cafe, license and all). So you are able to buy official merchandise goods, enjoy food & beverages inspired or based on the likeness of the characters. The cafe grounds are also decked out in all things related to the Shirokuma Cafe anime.

You don’t have to watch the anime or read the manga before you dine at this cafe but it is highly recommended because it will make the experience that much more fun.

WHERE IS THE SHIROKUMA CAFE LOCATED?

The cafe is located at Takadanobaba, along one of its main streets. It is within walking distance from both Takadanobaba station (高田馬場駅 )and Nishi-Waseda station ( 西早稲田駅 ) so you can set off from either.

Realistically, it should be around 10-15 minutes walk for first-timers if you factor in having to navigate in an unfamiliar place. However, you can easily get directions from their official website now so you might save a few minutes.

The official website has tons of information, complete with menu, promotions and even directions to the cafe, so do check it out if you plan to visit the cafe in your travels! They have added an English and Mandarin language option on the website too.

Entrance of the Polar Bear Cafe (Shirokuma) — *Entrance of the Shirokuma cafe*

As we stepped in, the first thing that greets us (or rather stole our attention) was the iconic scene in almost every episode of the anime series.

Shirokuma Cafe_Polar Bear Cafe (Big Plushie) — *Look who’s at their usual seats at the counter!*

And of-course, I couldn’t resist. ^ ^

Visiting Shirokuma Cafe with Penguin san and Panda kun! — *Panda-kun, where’s Shirokuma-san?*

And there he is! Together with his best friend, Grizzly Bear @ the pillars in the dining section.

Shirokuma and Grizzly are here to make your dining experience just a tad much sweeter.

To avoid the lunch crowd, we went slightly after lunch-time and thus managed to find seats quite easily.

The dining area has several TV screens playing the anime so you can watch the anime as you dine, especially great for solo diners. 🙂

SHIROKUMA CAFE AMENITIES

The cafe offers free Wi-Fi and is divided into a few main areas:

Entrance
Counter (order area)
Dining area
Smoking room (The cafe itself is non-smoking)
Kids Playroom

HOW TO ORDER?

So after taking a bunch of photos around the cafe, we were finally ready to order! There were menus placed at each table so you could take your time choosing what you would like to eat and not hog up the line at the counter.

Or you can just ask Panda-kun and Penguin-san for their recommendations ^-^

Ordering at Shirokuma’s cafe is easy, you just head to the counter and tell them what you would like to order. Pay for your food, collect your drinks, get a number tag (if you ordered any food item that requires preparation) and your food were be served to you at your table.

Polar Bear Cafe ordering counter — *My bill came up to 1,800 yen. Guess what I’d ordered?*

Hmmm…. doesn’t he looks familiar?

Oh and did I mention the staff at the cafe looks like the human characters in the anime?

There was a female staff who was dressed up and looked like Sasako and a male staff who I think was to resemble Rinrin? (A quick check at their website confirms that yes, they were going for Rinrin and Sasako… but what about Handa-san??)

Shirokuma Cafe Coasters!!

They were having a coaster campaign when we were there in June 2015. Each food item you purchased would entitled you to one of these coasters. These were given randomly so switch with your friends if the need arises. Please note that the cafe runs different promotions or themed events from time to time so check out their social media platforms for updates! (Find the links in the Information Section)

Since we were getting quite hungry by now (all that walking around in the morning!), I decided to get a beverage, as well as a main course. (No, it wasn’t because I wanted to get two coasters so I ordered so much… really it wasn’t...)

Shirokuma Cafe Panda Latte! — *Waiting for my main course! How cute is the panda matcha latte?*

I ended up ordering a green tea (matcha) latte (so cute!) and Penguin-san’s themed meal! The latter is basically rice with an assortment of Penguin-san’s favourite fried fish with a side (salad). Looks really nice, right? My camera certainly agrees with me, judging from how long I spent taking photos @ different angles before I started digging in. 🙂

Shirokuma Cafe (Polar Bear Cafe) Penguin-san's themed food dish — *Penguin-san’s fried mixed Seafood plate!*

So after satisfying our tummy and have taken enough photos, what’s next?

SHOPPING!!

Or rather heading to the merchandise corner. Since there was no time limit, we could take our time browsing and squealing at the cute goods on sale. (Some themed-cafes we have been to sets a time restriction on buying merchandises).

There was also a name label sticker machine when I was there (not sure if it is still there though) where you can print your name against the backdrop of some of the Shirokuma’s cafe characters.

Shirokuma Cafe merchandise and goods — *Soooo cute!!*

IN CONCLUSION

We really enjoyed our experience at the Shirokuma (Polar Bear) cafe! It was a pretty relaxing and a nice chill-out place to have a meal but to be honest, the food was only alright. I love the plate designs (so cute!). Taste-wise, however, its really nothing fancy to shout about. For the price I’ve paid, I can indeed get more delicious food elsewhere.

However, going to a character cafe is really all about the atmosphere, the experience, the merchandise and all the photo opportunities you have rather than a delicious meal. And we definitely got our money’s worth in that department. So always adjust your expectations for the tastiness of the food available and you will enjoy your experience.

Character Cafes like Polar Bear’s Cafe are a good introduction to anime/character cafes because ordering items are relatively stress-free (especially if you don’t know Japanese) and in a way familiar to most. Moreover, this cafe is significantly more tourist friendly now, especially with the creation of their website.