Magic in Japan

Many people e-mail me when they visit Japan asking for tips regarding magic in Japan, so I decided to write down what I know here (you can still e-mail me and see if there is something special going on at a certain time, or if you just want to say hi).

Scroll down to the bottom for my overall recommendations.

Many of the magic bars that I have visited have more detailed reviews on this blog, so try looking clicking on the "magic bar review" tag to get a list of posts with more information and photos.

General info

English

Most people in Japan do not speak English. If you do not speak Japanese, many of the really funny magicians will be less funny. Most can still do magic that you will understand even if you do not speak Japanese, but the funny parts may get lost. I am told Tokyo and Osaka are better than the rest of the country when it comes to speaking English, but since no one ever speaks English to me, I cannot say for sure :-)

Magic Bars

In Japan there are lots of magic bars (probably more than 100). A magic bar in Japan is a place that is open six or seven days per week, usually from seven or eight in the evening until at least midnight but often until four or five in the morning. Almost all places will do magic for you at the counter or table when you show up, no need to reserve in advance or show up at some special show time. Most places will do at least 30 minutes of magic, many more than an hour, for you. Some have small stages and also do stage magic. All places serve drinks, some serve food.

Shops

In Japan (and I guess most of the world), most magic props are sold in the bigger online shops nowadays. There are quite a few Japanese online magic shops, though most probably do not ship outside Japan.

There are magic shops in Japan where you can buy lots of magic props, books (almost exclusively in Japanese, though), DVDs etc. The staff can usually show you what the tricks look like if you ask.

Magic props can also be found in other shops. The chain Tokyu Hands sells all kinds of crazy things and usually has a fairly large selection of magic props. Most larger toy stores sell the Tenyo line of magic props, as do Don Quixote and Village Vanguard chains (usually in the "party goods" area). In Tokyu Hands, there are sometimes people demoing the magic props live.

Here are some magic shops in Japan:

Magic shop Magic Land, in Tokyo. A bit hard to find, as it is located in an anonymous apartment building and the sign outside is very discreet (thank Google Maps), and located in an area where there is nothing else of interest. You can often see famous magicians visit there.

Magic shop Fantasia, also in Tokyo, also hard to get to. I have not visited this shop.

Magic shop Panoramagic. Near the Ikebukuro station in Tokyo. Very small shop that sells many original tricks (though many are word play jokes in Japanese that will not translate easily into other languages).

Magic shop Mebius, the only magic shop in Sapporo.

Magic shop Atlantis in Sendai. Colocated with a diving shop. Very friendly.

Magic shop French Drop, famous magic shop in Osaka where you can often meet Ponta the Smith (since he works there). Also has a large online shop.

Magic Bars in Japan

From north to south, here are some of the magic bars I have visited, and a few magic bars I have not visited but that are famous.

Prices vary, with Tokyo being most expensive and smaller cities cheaper. In Tokyo, expect to pay between 6000 yen and 10000 yen (more if you order food or drink a lot). Osaka is a little cheaper, usually from 5000 yen. Sapporo, where I live, is much cheaper and 3500 yen gets you 90 minutes including all drinks.

Both Osaka and Tokyo have many more magic bars that I have not visited and that are not mentioned here. Most larger cities in Japan have at least one magic bar, so I believe there are many many more magic bars in Japan than the ones mentioned here (since I have not traveled very much in Japan).

Asahikawa City

Te to te to te [closed], this was the first magic bar I ever visited. It is now closed.

Arukana (Arcana). I have not visited this magic bar, but I have met two of the magicians that run it and they are quite nice. I have never seen them perform magic, but I am told the magic bar is fun to visit by friends who did visit.

Welcome. I have not visited, but I have met the owner. Many people I know have visited, and they all speak highly of the magic bar. Also serves cocktails of very high quality.

Otaru City

Magic bar Packet, small place run by a young magician I used to work with. Very technically skilled. Can also solve a Rubik’s cube in under 25 seconds without using magic.

Sapporo City

Hey Pola, the oldest magic bar in Sapporo that is still open. Nice place with good magic and good use of music.

Trick bar Twister, the magic bar where I work. I am usually there on Fridays and Saturdays (unless my main job has me away on some business trip), and then you can see magic in English (or Swedish). There are also four other magicians working there, two of which are very good.

Magic bar Trick, the most expensive magic bar in Sapporo and the magic bar with the most magicians in Sapporo (more than 10, though the number goes up and down quite a lot). One of the magicians is arguably the best in Sapporo, so if you visit on one of the one or two days in the week when he is there, you can get some very good magic. The guy who runs the bar is also quite good, and I hear good things about one other magician too (though I have not seen him perform). The rest apparently are not that memorable, since no one who has visited seem to remember much else.

Tomarigi. The magician who runs Tomarigi used to work as a dealer, showcasing magic props in stores. This gives his magic a very different feel than the other magic bars.

Yorozuya. Very technically skilled, and if you ask him he can probably show you a very good classic pass, Ray's rise, or sliding coins up and down the arm etc.

Cocktail bar Harada. Strictly speaking not a magic bar (a normal bar), but if you say that you would like to see some magic the younger of the two Harada who work there is usually happy to show you 20 to 30 minutes of magic (unless they are very busy with the normal bar business). Not being a magic bar means it is very cheap, you only pay for what you drink (or eat). Harada also speaks English very well, so if you do not speak Japanese this is great.

Ropossa. Not a magic bar (a Japanese "snack" bar, which means a bar with women who talk to you and karaoke), but the woman who runs it does a magic show every night. She does sponge magic, spoon bending, and a three minutes magic show to music very very well (she does some other magic tricks too, but insists she is not a magician). The place also has lots of puzzles (like Rubik's cube, boxes that are difficult to open, etc.), games (board games, card games), weird and wonderful items (optical illusions, strange musical instruments, random weird stuff), and interesting customers (lots of street performers, for instance). Food (lots, if you are hungry) and drinks are included in the cheap price of 3300 yen.

Sendai City

Tejina-ya Sendai. Tejina-ya is a chain of magic bars in Japan. The Sendai bar is pretty new. As all Tejina-ya, they will do a stage magic show where each of the three or four magicians working that night will do one routine on stage. There will be a show when guests show up, so you do not have to go there at any particular time. They will also do some table magic for you.

Tokyo

Tokyo: Ginza/Shinbashi

Half Moon is usually mentioned as the best magic bar in Tokyo. The magician Hide who works there has a very special style, quite different from most magicians in Japan. He also does very strong magic (as in maybe 10 or 15 tricks that are used as the one closing finale in other magic bars). You usually have to reserve in advance, and the magic shows happen at fixed time so you have to be there on time. Last time I visited it was 9000 yen for 90 minutes of magic, including two or three drinks and some snacks. 9000 yen is much more than you pay in many other magic bars in Japan, but it did not feel expensive in relation to what you get for the money.

Toto's Bar is also usually mentioned when people talk about which place could be "the best magic bar in Tokyo". Toto does very strong magic and is invited to perform at the Magic Castle in Hollywood one or two times per year (so try to visit Toto's Bar when Toto is not in the Magic Castle). Also has good food.

Juniji (12 o'clock) is part of a chain of magic bars in Tokyo (including Juji (10 o'clock), Hachiji (8 o'clock)). They will do a stage show (producing doves for example) whenever guests show up, even if there are only two of you and you show up at three in the morning. They also do table magic.

Joker. I visited many years ago and the master did lots of very strong tricks (more than 10 that are used as the one super finale in other places).

Tokyo: Akasaka

Surprise is famous for having many female magicians. There are usually three or four magicians working each night, and at least one or two are women.

Tokyo: Shinjuku

Cuore (previously Calvados). I visited once many years ago. The owner, Kokoro, used to work in show business as something other than a magician and has a different view on magic than many other magicians which gave his magic a different feel.

Tejinaya-Shinjuku. Tejina-ya is a chain of magic bars in Japan. The Shinjuku bar is said to have some of the funniest magicians in the whole chain, and it was indeed very funny when I visited. As all Tejina-ya, they will do a stage magic show where each of the three or four magicians working that night will do one routine on stage. There will be a show when guests show up, so you do not have to go there at any particular time. They will also do some table magic for you.

Tokyo: Roppongi

Osmand has a quite large stage and when i visited the had the whole stage on fire and produced young women out of boxes. They also did table magic. Osmand is also famous for inviting great magicians from all over the world to perform at special events quite often.

Tokyo Magic O (previously Magic Bar Issey) has several young and very cool magicians (most appearing on TV from time to time too) doing young and hip magic. Very high quality table and stage magic. The stage shows have fixed times, so you have to show up at an appropriate time to see that, but they do table magic for you at any time.

Yolo is a magic bar I have not yet visited but that my magician friends speak highly of. It is pretty new and is said to have some of the best quality magic in Tokyo at the moment. May be a bit difficult to get in, possibly needing some form of invitation.

Yokohama

Hearts is a magic bar in Yokohama. The first time I visited the magician did very original magic, producing a Christmas tree (small plastic tree, but still) and many other interesting things. The most recent time I visited he had changed the theme to mentalism and only did mentalism. Some of it was quite interesting and original, but I thought he was more entertaining as a magician than as a mentalist.

Kanperce [closed] was a nice magic bar I visited in Yokohama where they did all kinds of magic that I have never seen in any other bar.

Nagoya

Momentos is a very entertaining magic bar in Nagoya. Magi Shinji, who is famous from TV in Japan as a comedy magician, works there a few days per week and he is really funny. The other two magicians I saw were also very good, and the did famous tricks in very different ways (I have never seen such an original version of the Chinese linking rings, for example).

Triangle is a magic bar I have not visited but that is quite famous. The main star Shinichi Maruyama is extremely good technically.

Move is a bar I visited once where the man who runs it does some quite original stuff. He had lots of paddle tricks that he created himself, for example.

Kobe

Tejinaya-Sannnomiya. Another Tejina-ya place. Tejina-ya is a chain of magic bars in Japan. As all Tejina-ya, they will do a stage magic show where each of the three or four magicians working that night will do one routine on stage. There will be a show when guests show up, so you do not have to go there at any particular time. They will also do some table magic for you.

Osaka

French Drop is possibly the most famous magic bar in Osaka. The also have a magic shop in the same building, and an online shop. The bar has two or three magicians working each night, and the do close up magic at the counter and have a special show area with slightly larger magic. Many magicians want to visit to see Ponta the Smith perform, as he works there. I have never seen him in the bar, though I have met him in the shop.

Osaka: Shinsai-bashi

A-Omoro is famous for having the magician Ars working there. He is incredibly skilled and if you can visit a day when he works (there are many magicians working in the bar, usually three magicians are there each day), it is well worth seeing him. The other magicians are usually good too.

A-Majide is the magic bar in Osaka that I have visited the most. It helps that they are open on Sundays and open until 4 or 5 in the morning, so you I can visit after work meetings finish. The magic is quite strong and fairly original, but the main selling point is just talking to the staff who are very funny.

Osaka: Umeda

Magic Time is run by Messieur Pierre, a Japanese magician who used to be on Japanese TV quite a lot 10 years ago. He speaks English very well. He is very funny and also very technically skilled.

Vernon's Bar has many different magicians performing. Close to Magic Time.

Ube City (Yamaguchi)

Magic bar Manbo. When I visited Ube for work, I thought there may not be any magic bars there since it is a small place, but there turned out to be a magic bar two minutes walking distance from my hotel. It also turned out to be one of the funniest magic bars I have ever visited! Highly recommended if for some reason you ever visit this part of Japan.

Fukuoka City

Fushigiya, entertaining and does some original stuff (like a chop cup routing with potato snacks).

Red Carpet, run by a guy I know. Funny. Often produces a live hamster.

Nishioka, the oldest magic bar still open in Japan. Very experienced magicians. Famous for every single magician doing the watch steal (sometimes three magicians in a row steal the same watch from the same person without being noticed).

Jonas's Recommendations

In Tokyo, visit Half Moon (everyone thinks it is the best), Toto's Bar (if Toto is there), Tokyo Magic O (for the illusions).

In Osaka, visit French Drop if you are a magician and you are there when Ponta the Smith performs (because all magicians I have met want to see him), visit Magic Time (speaks English, very skilled, very funny), visit A-Omoro (if you are a magician and if you are there when Ars performs, because he just so super skilled), visit A-Majide (if you speak Japanese, because they are just funny to talk to).

In Sapporo, visit Trick bar Twister (when I am there, so I can meet you). Send me an e-mail and I can try to be there on any day that works for you. Send me an e-mail if you want to visit some other place and we can go together and I can translate for you.  I like watching magic and any excuse to visit other places is great.

In Nagoya, visit Momentos.

If you are going to Japan but do not know where in Japan to go, go to Tokyo. It is huge and has everything.

Magic Bar Reviev: Red Carpet

During my trip to Fukuoka, I visited the magic bar "Red Carpet" twice. The owner, magician Hiro, is a friend of the owner of the magic bar I do magic at in Sapporo, and we met in Sapporo before. Red Carpet is located in the Nakasu entertainment district in Fukuoka. The bar itself is quite large, with a counter for magic shows and quite a few tables were larger groups of people can sit and eat (and watch more magic). There was even a place to play darts. The interior decorations had an Egyptian theme, with lots of posters and small figurines of Egyptian gods etc.

福岡に行っていた時にマジックバー「Red Carpet」に2回も行った。オーナーのヒロさんがうちのマジックバーのオーナーと仲良い。札幌に来ていた時に一回会った。Red Carpetが福岡の中洲にあるので、行きやすい。バーが結構広くて、マジックショー用のカウンターもテーブル席もある。ダーツの出来る。ヒロさんはエジプトのことが好きらしい。エジプトの飾り物がいっぱいあって、きれいだった。

When I first arrived, there was one more guest there and he also knew some magic. Even though there were only the two of us, magician Hiro put on a full magic show for us, and another magician also did some close up magic for me. The next day I went back and then the counter was full, so full that even after adding two more chairs there was no room for me. I watched the magic show from a table seat instead.

初めて行った時に他にお客さん1人がいて、彼もマジックが出来るみたい。お客さん2人しかいなくても、ヒロさんが本格的なマジックショーをやってくれた。もう1人のマジシャンもクローズアップを見せてくれたし。次の日はカウンターが満席だった。椅子2つ足しても、満席だった。僕がテーブル席からマジックショーもう１回観た。

The magic show contained lots of different types of magic. Hiro did magic accompanied by music, and the choice of music was made with the magic in mind (or maybe the other way around). There were lots of funny gag type magic tricks (like a brown handkerchief turning into poo, or a balloon turning into a penis), some mentalist type effects, card magic, fork bending, and some very strange cubes that changed places under impossible conditions. His closing effect was the cup and balls using cans of canned fruits. In the end, not only did a lot of actual fruits show up, the cans also turned into unopened cans, and a live white mouse also appeared out of one of the cans.

マジックショーは色々なマジックがあった。音楽に合わせてマジックをやっていた。ギャグネタが多くて（例えば、茶色のハンカチがうんこに変わる、風船がチンコになる）、笑えた。メンタリズム的なマジックもあったし、カード・フォーク曲げ・不思議なように入れ替わるキューブのマジック、色々あった。最後にカップ＆ボールのマジックがあった。缶詰めのミカンの缶を使って、最後に本物のミカンが沢山出たし、缶が新品の状態に戻っていたし、生きている白ネズミが出たし、面白かった。

Hiro also does a very nice cigarette magic routine, where in the end a card that had previously been torn to pieces also appears and is restored. I was also impressed by a card trick where one spectator selects a card, and another spectator that does not know which the selected card is sweeps his hand around the edge of a fan of cards and stops wherever he wants and in the end turns out to stop with his finger pointing right at the selected card. Hiro also showed me some tricks that he thought I would be interested in but that were not in the show, including a coin in a glass covered by another glass that still started (and stopped) spinning on command, a strange card case from which you could produce a deck of cards with a certain card at any number, and throwing a deck of cards wrapped in rubber bands up and having only one card stick to the ceiling (a famous trick that I had not seen live before).

タバコのマジックのルーティンも良かった。タバコのマジックをやりながら、突然前に破いたカードが現れて復活した。他に感動したマジックはカードを選んで貰って、選んだカードを知らないお客さんにカードのファンを見せる。お客さんがファンの周りに指を動かして、好きな時に止める。その時に、別のお客さんの選んだカードを指差していた。他にショーに入っていないマジックだが僕が好きそうなネタも色々見せてくれた。例えば、グラスにコインを入れて、上にグラスも１つ被せたのに、コインが回ったり止まったりした。不思議なカードケースからトランプ出したら、上から何枚目でも特別なカードが出るとか。トランプを輪ゴムでとめて、上に投げると1枚だけ天井にくっつくマジックも初めて生で観た。


Summary:
Location: In the entertainment district Nakasu, easy to get to by subway.
Type of magic: Close up.
Quality of magic: Good.
Cost: I paid 3,000 yen, including one drink.
Interior: Egyptian things here and there, nice.
Staff: Funny, very friendly.
Overall impression: A lot of strange magic. Also lots of gags. Funny.

まとめ：
場所：中洲、行きやすい
マジックの種類：クローズアップ
マジックの質：良かった
値段：僕は3,000円だった
インテリア：エジプトの飾り物が多くて、きれい
スタッフ：面白い。優しい。
全体的な印象：不思議なマジックが多かった。ギャグネタも多かった。面白かった。

Magic Bar Review: Nishioka

I went to Fukuoka for a project meeting in March 2013 and I found time to visit the magic bar Nishioka there. Nishioka is (probably) the oldest magic bar in Japan. It has been over 40 years since they opened, I was told.

2013年の3月に出張で福岡に行った。マジックバーに行ける時間もちょっととれて、「奇跡の店西岡」に行った。日本の一番長くやっているマジックバーだと思う。40年以上、と言われた気がする。

The bar is mainly one very long bar counter. It seats over 20 people I think. The interior looks like it has not been changed since when they opened 40 years or more ago, which gives it a very nice atmosphere.

バーの中は長～いカウンターがある。20人くらい座れると思う。昔からインテリアが変わっていなさそうで、昔風な雰囲気がある。きれいだ。

When I got there, which was fairly early in the evening (around eight or so) there were no other guests there. There were three magicians, and they each came to my part of the counter and performed magic for 10 to 20 minutes for me. As they were doing so, other guests started coming, and when the last magician was finished at my place the bar was full. I was allowed to stay around and watched the magicians performing for the group of people sitting next to me too. For most guests, as soon as the last magician finished the "mama" of the place showed up with the bill, and people came and left pretty quickly.

僕が割と早い時間（20時頃だったかな？）に入った。その時に他のお客さんがいなかった。マジシャン3人がいて、1人1人で僕のところに来て、10～20分のマジックを見せてくれた。マジックを見ていた時に、どんどん他のお客さんも入って、最後のマジシャンが僕のところに来た時にもう満席だった。僕は3人のマジック全部観終わっても残っていて、隣のグループに見せていたマジックも観た。他のグループはだいたい最後のマジシャンのマジックが終わった瞬間にママがチェックを出したから他のお客さんが入って、マジック観て、結構早く帰った。

The magic they performed at Nishioka was very nice. They did a lot of very famous classical tricks, that are classics because they are great tricks. Some of the things they are famous for are the cups and balls (8 lemons showed up in total) and watch steal (pickpocket magic). The group of girls sitting next to me saw the same girl having her watch stolen several times (every magician wanted to take a watch for some trick, and since she had the only watch...).

見せて貰ったマジックが結構良かった。有名な（クラシックな）マジックを沢山見せて貰った。西岡で有名なマジックは例えばカップ＆ボール（レモン8個も出る）やピックポケットで時計をとるマジック。隣に座っていた女の子たちの時は同じ女の子の時計2～3回取られた。マジシャンが皆時計取りたがってて、時計している人はその女の子しかなかったから毎回その時計になったね。

The son of the owner of Nishioka complained that I did not give him fair warning when exactly I took a photo of him, so he did not have time to adjust his face...

... so I took one more photo and he was very happy with that. No noticeable change at all, though, haha.

I also had one of my 10,000 yen bills signed and then made to disappear, and it later appeared inside a box of matches that had possibly been on the table the whole time. There was also a production of 50 or so sponge balls, which was very funny. The group of girls next to me also got a huge sponge penis (which the magician did not produce for me). I also saw rope magic (professor's nightmare), coin magic, card magic, strange iPhone apps, ring and string magic, a three shell game, the China rings, magic with safety pins, and the invisible deck. All in all, they showed me a lot of magic, in a very high tempo.

他に、僕の1万円札にサインして、お札が消えて、ずっと置いてあったマッチボックスの中から出てきた。スポンジボール50個くらい出てきたし。隣の女の子たちの時に観たことのないデカいちんこも出たが僕にマジックを見せていた時にそれ出さなかった。ロープ・コイン・トランプ・アイフォーンのアプリ・指輪と紐・シェルゲーム・チャイナリング・安ピンのマジック・インビシブルデックもあった。クラシックなマジックをバンバンやっていた。


Summary:
Location: In the entertainment district Nakasu, easy to get to by subway.
Type of magic: Close up.
Quality of magic: Good.
Cost: 5,500 yen, including one drink.
Interior: Old, nice.
Staff: Funny.
Overall impression: Lots of classics of magic. Recommended.

まとめ：
場所：中洲、行きやすい
マジックの種類：クローズアップ
マジックの質：良かった
値段：ワンドリンクで5,500円
インテリア：昔の雰囲気できれいだ。
スタッフ：面白い。
全体的な印象：クラシックなマジックを沢山やる。面白い。