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.

Slit mouthed woman doing some magic in Ropossa

On my way back after doing a magic show as the "kuchi sake onna" ("slit mouthed woman" urban legend monster), I stopped by Ropossa. The mama of Ropossa had requested that I stop by when in this costume. I ended up doing some table magic for some other guests there. It was a lot of fun.

口裂け女の仮装でマジックショーをやってから、ロポッサというマジックスナックにもちょっと寄った。ママが口裂け女の仮装どうしても見たいって言っていたから。他のお客さんにテーブルマジックを見せることにもなった。楽しかった。

Magic show at the El Mango Halloween Party

The first of November, there was another Halloween party and did another magic show. Again dressed as the "kuchi sake onna" ("slit mouthed woman" urban legend monster).  The party came with lots of good food, and many different performances. Apart from my magic, there was Latin dancing, Kung-Fu stunt action fighting, singing by imitating famous people, hip-hop dancing, and salsa dancing.

11月1日にもハロウィンパーティーがあった。またマジックショーをやった。また口裂け女の仮装でやった。パーティーでは色々な食べ物もあったし、他のパフォーマンスも色々あった。サルサダンス・ヒップホップダンス・物真似・カンフーアクションパフォーマンス、色々あった。

For a Halloween party, the number of people with funny costumes was quite low. There was a costume competition, and I voted for a Marilyn Monroe girl. In the end, I won the costume competition and got a massage cushion.

ハロウィンパーティーだったが仮装の人がそんなにいなかった。仮装コンクールもあって、僕が優勝した。僕のがマリリンモンローの仮装に１票。

When I was preparing for my performance, one of the dancers from a previous performance came into the only back stage room. She took a look at me and asked: "You are not really a woman right?" and then asked me to leave the room. She wanted to change out of her performance costume and into her Halloween costume. I wanted to prepare for my performance, since I was the next person to go on stage, but I figured I was pretty much done and gave her the room.

裏で僕のパフォーマンスの準備をしたら、別のパフォーマンス組の女の人１人が入ってきて、僕の方を見た。「本当は女の人ではないよね？出て行って貰えませんか？」と言われた。パフォーマンスの衣装からハロウィンのコスチュームに着替えたかった。次のパフォーマンスが僕だったから、もうちょっと準備したかったが準備がほぼ終わっていたから部屋を譲った。

She also noticed that not only am I not a woman, I am also not Japanese. She asked where I am from, and when I said that I am from Sweden she started speaking Swedish to me. When we spoke more later, she said that she went to a Swedish high school for one year. She speaks quite well, but with a very strong southern Sweden dialect. That she speaks with a much better southern Swedish accent than I could possibly manage (despite me being quite good a Swedish in general :-) is pretty funny when she looks very non-Swedish.

女の人ではないのもばれたし、日本人でもないのもばれたから「何人？」と聞かれた。スウェーデン人だと言ったら、スウェーデン語で色々言われた。ビックリ。後でもっと話したら、高校１年間スウェーデンの高校に行っていたそうだ。スウェーデン語がきれいだが南スウェーデンの方言が強い。日本人がその方言できれいに喋るのがうけるなぁ。

The always popular "signed card into unopened (sealed) PET bottle". The girl who signed the card remembered (and recognized me without being dressed as a girl!) me when I ran into her at a Christmas party two months later.

She also turned out to work at the same university that I work at. We now have lunch together once per week (except when I am travelling, which recently is like all the time).

そして、もうちょっと話したら、職場一緒！僕の出張がない時に（最近出張しかないけど）週１回くらい北大で一緒に昼ご飯を食べる。

Two people who can speak Swedish

My magic show went fine. People laughed when they were supposed to etc. I had some problems with walking in my very high heeled spike heel shoes (they are size XXL but much too small for me, since it is Japanese girl size XXL). People thought that was funny, so that was still good, I guess. It was also pretty funny when a photo of me kept appearing in one magic trick, but no one could recognize who it was since I was dressed as a woman on stage. I learned that it is annoyingly difficult to carry your magic props around with you when in women's clothing, since apparently women do not use pockets...

僕のマジックショーが無事に終わった。皆笑ってくれた。まあまあ高いスパイクヒールで歩くのがちょっと難しかったというか痛かった。XXLを買ったがそれでもかなり小さい。女の子の足がめっちゃ小さいんだね。苦しんでいる姿も、皆笑ってくれたから、結果良かった。他に面白くなったのは、僕の顔の写真が何回も出てくるマジックで、「この人誰？」と皆なった。僕の素顔を知っている人がいなくて、口裂け女のメイクで全然分からなかったみたい、笑。勉強になったのは、女の人がポケットを使わないんだね。服にポケットが１つもなかった。マジック道具を持って歩くのが大変だった。

Kung-Fu action stunt fighting

Magic show at a Halloween Party at cafe An Be

One of my friends has a "senpai" working in a restaurant/cafe/bar called Cafe An Be. My friend has done magic shows there many times, and when asked to do a show at their Halloween party, he asked me if I could help out, since he was running out of material. I said sure, and we ended up doing a half hour show together.

マジシャン友達の先輩が「Cafe An Be」という店で働いている。友達が何回もそこでマジックショーをやってきた。ハロウィンパーティーでまたマジックやって欲しいって言われた時に、僕に「一緒にやる？」と聞いた。ネタがもうない感じだった。僕が「やりたい！」と言ったから、2人で30分くらいのショーをやった。

Before our time to go on stage, we waited around in the back for quite some time. We got some very nice food to eat, though, so that was fine. Before us, there was also a group of women performing poppy versions of anime songs and other music. They were very nice.

ステージにあがる前に結構待っていた。待っている間、美味しい食べ物を貰った。うちのショーの前にアニソングとかをやってくれた女性のバンドもパフォーマンスした。良かった。

We did our magic show by first me doing one magic trick, then my friend doing one, then me again, and so on. This worked really well, and was a pretty good way to split up the work and to get some good variety into the show (we did not have time to rehearse any routines to do together).

マジックのショーは、僕が1ネタをやって、友達が1ネタをやって又僕、みたいなやり取りにした。結構良かった。キャラの違いがあって、2人でやった方が良かった。2人で一緒にやるネタの練習時間がなかったから、簡単なやり取りくらいしか出来なかったが結果良かった。

I had been told that the audience would be mostly drunk grownups but it was in fact mostly families with children. I have a lot of material that works well with kids, but had not brought very much of that. I did have some things that work great with kids, though. When I ask kids to help me out on stage, usually there are lots of volunteers. This time, there were none, haha. Probably because I was dressed up as the "kuchi sake onna" (the "slit mouthed woman", a Japanese urban legend monster that kills children with her scissors).

行く前に、酔っ払いの大人が多いと言われたが当日に来ていた人が子供連れの家族が多かった。子供にうけるマジックをいっぱい持っているが持って行ったマジックの中はそんなになかった。子供うけが良いネタを何個かがあったけど。普段「手伝ってくれる人がいる？」と子供に聞いたら、やりたい子供がいっぱいいる。今回は誰もいなかった、笑。僕が口裂け女の仮装していたから、皆怖がっていたみたい。

In the subway

Our show was appreciated. People laughed a lot, and afterwards people came up and wanted to take photos with me. One woman came up to me and said that she had thought I was actually a woman up until I started speaking, haha.

マジックショーが好評だった。皆笑ってくれた。終わってから、一緒に写真撮りたい人もいたし、「喋る前に本当に女だと思った」と言ったおばさんもいた、笑。

On the way back to the magic bar where we then were to do more magic, we met one of my friends in the subway. She thought it was strange to ride the subway dressed the way I was.

地下鉄でマジックバーに戻る時に、たまたま僕の友達に会った。よくその格好で地下鉄に乗れたねと言われた。

Magic at a Bridal company party

After the Halloween magic show, I immediately left for Tokyo to meet people from Sweden who were visiting. After a few intensive days in Tokyo, I flew back to Sapporo, went straight to work, and left from work straight for a party with people working in the bridal business.

ハロウィンのマジックショーの次の日にスウェーデンから知り合いが東京に来たので、僕が札幌から東京に会いに行った。忙しいが楽しい東京の2日間の後、飛行機に乗って直接職場に行った。職場から直接ブライダル系の会社の集まりの宴会に行った。

A woman I know works with finding entertainers for weddings. She connects people organizing their weddings with people playing the violin etc. Sometimes people ask for a magician, and then she sometimes asks me if I have time to perform at a wedding or two.

知っている女の人が結婚式などに生演奏の人とかを紹介する仕事をしている。たまに「マジシャン紹介できますか？」と聞かれる。そういう時にたまに僕にどこかの結婚式に出れる？と僕に聞いてくる時がある。

At the party, lots of people in her business were gathering, so she wanted me to come and do some magic for the rest of them, in the hope that they might ask her (or recommend people getting married to ask her) for a magician.

その宴会で、ブライダル的な仕事の人がいっぱい集まっていたから、皆にマジックを見せたら、マジシャンのリクエストが増えるかもしれないから無料でやって欲しいと言われた。趣味でやっているから面白い相手なら無料でも全然やる。

I walked around the tables and did the tricks that I often do at weddings, and people were very impressed. I also saw the boss of one of the biggest bridal companies there, and we had met once before. I did a magic show at a wedding were the groom was one of his relatives, so he was sitting at one of the head tables. I was asked to do something special at his table this time, so I ended up putting a card that he had signed inside an unopened (sealed) PET bottle. He seemed very impressed with that (and the sponge rabbits trick I do).

テーブルを回って、結婚式でよくやるマジックを見せた。大きなブライダルの会社の社長（？）も来ていた。前に結婚式でマジックをやった時に、その社長に会ったことがある。新郎さんが親戚だったみたい。今回、社長のテーブルで特別なマジックやって欲しいと言われたから、結局サインして貰ったカードを新品のペットボトルに入れた。うけが良かった。まぁ、いつもやっているスポンジのウサギのマジックもう相変わらずうけた。

Magic show at H's Cafe

In recent years, Halloween has become more and more popular in Japan. People celebrate Halloween by dressing up in mostly cute or sexy costumes and having parties. I was asked to do a magic show at a place called H's cafe, where I quite often have dinner (they have excellent hamburgers), at their Halloween party.

最近日本でもハロウィンが流行ってきた。日本では可愛いコスチュームでパーティーするだけだけどね。H's Cafeというバーのハロウィンパーティーでマジックショーをやった。ハンバーガーがうまい店で、よく行く。

I dressed up as a zombie, since that means you can still have pockets to carry your magic props around with you. I got 30 minutes or so to do a show in front of all the people at the party. People seemed to enjoy it, though it was difficult to tell the facial expressions of most people.

ゾンビの仮装して、マジックをしに行った。ゾンビだったら、ポケットがあるコスチュームなので、マジック道具とか持って行きやすい。30分くらい皆の前でマジックショーをやった。うけたと思うが表情が分かり辛い人が多かった、笑。

There was also a costume competition at the party and I got second place there.

コスチュームコンクールもあった。2位になって、賞を貰った。

Costume competition winners

My prize

Street magic in Tanuki Koji

In Sapporo we have a shopping arcade called Tanuki Koji ("Little Tanuki Street", tanuki being a Japanese animal similar to a raccoon). After 20:00 when the shops there close, this street is often filled with street entertainers and people practicing dance in front of the shop windows (that become like large mirrors). You can find caricature artists, balloon animal makers, stand up comedians, guitar players, etc. there.

札幌に狸小路というショッピング・アーケードがある。店が20時に閉まるからその後大道芸的な人やダンスの練習する若者がいっぱいいる。似顔絵・バルーン・お笑い・ギター、色々な人がいる。

Yesterday I saw a guy doing magic there, so I went up and asked him to show me some magic. He said he was just an amateur, but that he could show me some things. He showed me a lot of things. He did some cigarette magic, a version of the coin matrix, a trick with Bicycle card jokers falling off their bicycles, the Chicago opener, a color changing deck routine, a card sandwich effect, and more. He showed some things with tissue paper to another guy, and had a plank with three different colored handkerchiefs that moved mysteriously. He also made a match disappear by snorting it up his nose, and he jammed a knife through his finger when the finger was covered by a playing card.

この間通ったら、マジックをやっている人もいた。何か見せて貰おうと思ってちょっと話しかけた。アマチュアですって言われた。色々見せてくれた。タバコのマジック・コインのマトリックス・ジョーカーが2人乗りになるパケット・シカゴオープナー・デックのカラーチェーンジ・カード当て、色々あった。他の人のにティッシュを使ったマジックもやった。板に色の付いたハンカチの不思議な道具もあった。鼻にマッチを入れたし、ナイフで（カードでカバーされた）指を刺した。

He said that he is called Shin, that he is from Asahikawa, and we have a common friend who does magic in an udon noodle shop there. He also knows Johnny Samoa, the New Zealander that did magic at a Halloween party I visited and at my friends wedding a month or so ago.

「シン」と呼ばれるそうだ。旭川来ているから旭川のうどん屋でマジックをやっている共通の友達がいる。この間僕の友達の結婚してでマジックを見せていたジョニーサモアさんも知り合いだそうだ。

When he was showing some magic to a girl that also stopped to watch, he suddenly turned to me and asked: "Weren't you on TV a while back? Doing magic? With Yo Oizumi?" I said that I was. So he kind of forgot about the girl and started talking about all kinds of magic with me, and the girl left, haha.

僕にマジックを見せてから、若いお姉さんもマジックを見にきたからその人にも見せた。見せている途中、僕にむかって「思い出した！この間テレビでやっていなかった？大泉洋の番組で？」って。やっていたね。それで盛り上がって、お姉さんをほぼ無視したからお姉さんが帰った、笑。

He had good sense when it comes to selecting what magic to perform. He seemed a bit nervous, so sometimes he was flashing quite a lot, and compared to professional magicians, his talking/presentation style was not that funny or entertaining. But everyone starts out like that, of course. It also looked a bit suspicious when he took out a deck of cards, did one trick with that, put it away, took out another deck of cards, did the next trick with that, then changed to yet another deck, etc. I would have preferred if he put a deck away, did something else (e.g. cigarette magic), then took out one (possibly the same, from a spectators view) deck again etc.

ネタを選ぶセンスが良かったなぁ。ちょっと緊張していたみたいで、たまに見えちゃ行けないものが見えたりしていた。プロのマジシャンと比べると、喋りや見せ方がそんなに面白くなかった。まぁ、最初は皆そうだよね。他にトランプ出して、シカゴオープナーをやって、トランプ閉まって、別のトランプを出して別のマジックするのも、「このトランプだいぶ怪しいんだね」って見ている人が思っちゃうよね。トランプをやってから、トランプ閉まって、タバコやコインをやって、またトランプを出すとそこまで違和感ないと思うから、僕ならそうすると思うね。

He was very nice, and he seemed to speak English quite well (though we mainly spoke Japanese). I gave him a 1000 yen bill as a tip in the hope that other people would also tip well, but in Tanuki Koji there are mostly kids, and they do not have any money that they want to spend, I am told. Another magician acquaintance used to do magic there too, but people would give him between 10 and 100 yen... If you go to Susukino or some place where grownups drink, you can get 10,000 yen from the drunk people if they are impressed, he said.

優しい人で、英語も結構話せるみたい（2人で主に日本語で話したけど）。チップとして1000円あげた。そうすると他の人もチップあげるかなと期待したがやっぱり狸小路に来る人がほとんどお金あげないって他のマジシャン知り合いに言われた。10円とか、100円とか。若者ばかりで、お金をあまり使いたくないみたい。大人が飲みに行くところなら（すすきのとか）、喜ぶ人が万札もくれるし、ちょっとでも喜んでいれば、だいたい1000円くれるって。

The Akkey Theater illusion show

Today I went to see Akkey Theater. This was a 90 minute illusion and magic show. It was a lot of fun, as always when Akkey is performing. There were live doves, sponge doves, cards, shoes set on fire, illusions with scantily clad girls, and an alpaca challenge.

今日Akkey Theaterというマジックショーを見に行った。90分のイリュージョンとかの面白いマジックショーだった。本物の鳩・スポンジの鳩・トランプ・燃えている靴・イリュージョン・露出度の高い女の子・アルパカチャレンジ、色々あった。

Akkey, his assistants, and me

The challenge was a "Akkey can entertain anyone" vs. "these alpacas are not interested in anything" battle where Akkey had to do magic in front of a group of alpacas and if they remained uninterested he would lose. They first completely ignored some very nice card magic, but some production type effects caught their interest, haha.

アルパカチャレンジは「アッキーが誰にも楽しませる」と「うちのアルパカ、何も興味持たない」みたいな作戦だった。アッキーがアルパカにマジックを見せて、特に興味なかったらアッキーの負け。結構面白いトランプマジックを見せてもアルパカは興味なかったが出現のマジックで結構食いついたから、結果はアッキーの勝ちだった。笑ったなぁ。

You could buy stuffed alpacas after the show

I liked the dancing handkerchief best, but everything at the show was nice. It was also funny that when some assistant was wheeling a huge table with a girl that just appeared by magic out of the room, Akkey said: "Wait!". "Yesterday's questionnaires had lots of people saying 'we want to see more of Miyu-chan', so lets just leave her in view a little bit longer. OK, you can go. .... She is going to be angry with me later". There were lots of funny in-jokes that most people would not understand too.

踊っているハンカチが一番好きだったが全部面白かった。アシスタントがマジックで出現した女の子が乗っている台を部屋から出す時にアッキーが突然「ちょっと待って！」と言った「昨日のアンケートで『みゆちゃんをもっと見たい』という意見があったから、もうちょっと見せよう」と言った。「後でみゆちゃんに怒られるんだろう」って。色々な知り合いしか分からないギャグも沢山あった。面白かった。

Trick bar Twister and me in the newspaper

There was a newspaper article about our magic bar here in Sapporo in the Hokkaido Shinbun. I wrote about it on my other blog.

先週うちのマジックバーの話が新聞に載っていた。僕の写真も載っていた。英語で僕の別のブログで色々説明を書いたが日本語の分かる方なら、上の写真をクリックして自分で読めば一番良いよね。

Coin into glass with a big surprise ・ コイン・ツー・グラスの動画

This is Hiroshi Kato, the owner of our magic bar, doing a "coin to glass" magic trick with a twist (at the appropriately named magic bar "Twister"). A big surprise variation on a classic trick. He put it up on Facebook himself in his "Today' magic" series, but he asked me to put it on YouTube too, so here it is.

うちのマジックバーのオーナーの加藤寛氏がコインマジックをやっている動画だ。コインがグラスに入るが最後のオチが不思議だよね。札幌のマジックバー「トリックバーツイスター」で。加藤氏がやっている「今日のマジック」シリーズで自分でFacebookにアップしたがYouTubeにもアップして欲しいって僕に言った。

Cocktail Bar Harada again ・ 2回目のカクテルバー原田

An incredible number of cards signed by different people covered the walls and ceilings.

Yesterday I went to Cocktail Bar Harada again. I was there two years ago with a Japanese friend, and this time I was there with an American magician who was visiting Sapporo. Cocktail Bar Harada is a regular bar, but if you ask, Mr. Harada is happy to show you magic. That this is a normal bar means that the selection of drinks is much much more varied than any magic bar I have ever been to. There are also many customers there who are not interested in magic.

昨日またカクテルバー原田に行った。二年前に日本人の友達と行った。今回は札幌に遊びに来ていたアメリカ人のマジシャンと行った。カクテルバー原田は普通のバー（マジックバーではない）が「マジック観たい」と言ったら原田さんがマジックを見せてくれる。普通のバーなので、マジックバーよりお酒の種類が凄いんだ。マジックに全く興味のないお客さんも沢山来るみたい。

More magic looking things

Mr. Harada speaks English were well. He started learning English when he was very young because his father thought that would be good, and he lived for a while in Canada. Since my American friend does not speak that much Japanese, it was nice to have someone show us magic (and talk about other things) in English for a change, so I did not have to translate.

原田さんの英語が凄いきれいだ。英語が大事だとお父さんが思っているから、小さい頃から英語を勉強していたそうだ。カナダにも住んだことがある。アメリカ人の友達は日本語あまり話せないので、今回英語でマジックを見せて貰って（英語で話をしてもらって）、通訳しなくても大丈夫だったから結構楽だった。

The very nice looking bar counter

We got to see quite a lot of magic, and some examples include: a puzzle where you add more and more pieces but the size of the complete puzzle somehow stays the same, a trick that started out as coin bending but in the end a cigarette lighter was bent, some mystifying card sandwich effects, a card trick where a burnt joker was restored to prime condition but the signed card that my friend was holding in his hands became burnt instead, and a surprising card reveal where the selected card was named by the coffee patterns in the bottom of the cup which Mr. Harada had been drinking coffee from throughout the performance.

色々なマジックを見せて貰った。例えば：ジグソーパズルにピースを何回か足しても、パズルの大きさが変わらない・コイン曲げに見えると思ったら、ライターが曲がった・カードのサンドイッチ・炙ったジョーカーが元に戻ったが友達がずっと持っていたサインカードが炙られた・選んだカードのマークと数字が原田さんがずっとコーヒーを飲んでいたマグカップの中の余ったコーヒーに不思議に書いてあった。

Mr Harada with his close up mat

We also talked a lot about magic, magic clubs, living in America or Canada, and much more. We had a great time, and the drinks were very good. The bar is also very cheap compared to magic bars, since the charge is much less.

マジックが終わってから長くマジックの話とかもしていた。アメリカに住む話とかカナダに住む話とか、有名なマジシャンの話とか、色々面白い話があった。飲み物も美味しかったし、マジックバーではないから、チャージが安いし、今回も良かった。

Me and Mr Harada

On a side note, Mr Harada also teaches magic to people. One of his students is a professor at the university where I work, and we sometimes meet in the cafeteria or the secretaries' office etc. We also meet at the computer science department's New Year party every year, and every year he asks me to show him some magic, and he shows me some things he has learned since last year. The same day we went to Cocktail Bar Harada we also had the staff New Year party, so I had to do some magic there and we talked a bit about Mr Harada there too.

ちょっとだけ関係ある話もある。原田さんはマジック教室もやっている。習っている人の中では、北大の先生もいる。たまに学食や事務でその先生に会う。毎年のスタッフの新年会で会うし。新年会で、毎年「何か見せて」と言われるし、その先生にマジック見せて貰うし。今年もそうだった。今年の新年会はカクテルバー原田に行く日だったので、行く1時間前にも原田さんの話もしていた。

Magic Bar Review: Hey Pola ・ マジックバーレビュー：ヘイ・ポーラ

On 2014-01-06 I went to the magic bar "Hey Pola" in Sapporo together with an American magician who was visiting Sapporo over the New Year and had found my blog. Hey Pola is the bar of Tsugutomo Nihei, and he has been running this bar for 17 years. When we were told this, my American friend said: "What, he started running this place when he was 15?!" It turns out that Nihei is 43 years old, but he looks a LOT younger, haha.

2014年1月6日にヘイ・ポーラというマジックバーに行ってみた。札幌（すすきの）にある。アメリカ人のマジシャンが僕のブログを見つけて、札幌にお正月の遊びの旅行のために札幌に来た時に連絡とってくれたから、2人でヘイ・ポーラに行った。二瓶二大さんが今17年間営業している店なんだ。17年間って聞いて「え？15歳からやっているってこと？」とアメリカ人の友達が言い出した。43歳の二瓶さんがもっともっと若く見える（笑）。

When we came in, there was a group of three Japanese men there already. We all sat at the counter and watched Nihei's performance together. We got to see a handkerchief fly around the bar and then come back, some mentalism/lie detector things with a large wooden cube with different colors, magic with coins moving around and disappearing from the spectator's hand (ending up inside a glass), magic with bills (1000 yen became 10,000 yen), card magic to the soundtrack of Top Gun, and signed cards ending up inside an unopened PET-bottle of water, and more.

入った時にサラリーマン3人がカウンターに座っていた。隣にお邪魔して、5人で二瓶さんのマジックを観た。店の奥に飛んで、戻ってきたハンカチ・サイコロを使ったメンタリズム（嘘発見器）・コインマジック（お客さんの手の中からグラスに瞬間移動）・お札（1000円が10000円になった）・トップ・ガンの音楽に合わせたカードマジック・新品のペットボトルにサインカードが入る、いろいろなマジックを見せて貰った。

Lots of funny gags were sprinkled throughout the show, and one that I liked in particular was that he claimed his stage name was "Mr. Nande", written with the Chinese characters for "south" and "hand". This happens to sound exactly like the expression for "Why?" which is used in Japanese when you see something unexplainable. He also explained that like the hostess bars (there are lots of hostess bars in the same district) nearby, they had a "request fee" system. If you request a specific hostess (instead of getting one randomly assigned) there is often a "request fee". So if you requested a specific magician (though there was only one there, so you would get him no matter what), they would charge you 5000 yen. So any time anyone said "nande!?" in surprise, they counted up one more on the request fee charge, which was quite funny. One guy had a bill for 25,000 yen when he was leaving (which, as it turns out, he did not actually have to pay since it was just a joke).

ギャグネタも多かった。僕の一番好きなギャグは、「私の芸名は『南手』なんだ」と説明されて、「ナンデ？！」と言ったら、指名料金5000円取られるって。隣のサラリーマンが何回も「何で？」って言ってしまったから、帰る時に2万5000円のチャージもついていた（笑）。結局「冗談だよ」と言われて、払わなくて大丈夫だったけど。

Hey Pola also uses music and sound in a fun and interesting way. When the first card trick was about to start, Nihei put on RayBan sunglasses and started blasting the soundtrack of Top Gun. The spectator was asked to pick a card and look hard and remember it. He also had to touch it with his index finger to "lock on". The card was returned, the deck was shuffled, and then the "locked on" finger was used to find the card over and over again. There were many other magic routines done to music. I also loved the fake applause track that he would play after each routine was finished, haha.

ヘイ・ポーラで音楽とかの使い方もうまい。カードのマジックが始まる時に、パイロットのサングラスを掛けて、トップ・ガンの音楽を流し始めた。観客1人にカード一枚選んで貰って、指で「ロックオンして下さい」と指定した。その後、そのロックオンした指で、観客が何回も自分のカードを当てた。カード切ってからも。他の音楽に合わせたマジックもあった。僕の一番笑ったのが毎回マジック１つが終わったら、音声システムで拍手の音を流していた、ｗ。

The price we paid was 3500 yen for 90 minutes of "nomihoudai" (unlimited drinking), which is the standard price in Sapporo (prices in Sapporo are cheaper than Tokyo or Osaka in general). The bar is quite small but feels much roomier than it is. There are seats at the counter and some tables with sofas. There were lots of posters and paintings of Houdini on the walls. The selection of drinks was pretty standard, though there were some things that are not that common too, like a yogurt based cocktail.

90分の飲み放題で3500円だった。札幌にしたら、普通だ（札幌が基本的に東京や大阪より安い）。バーが割りと狭いが意外に広く感じる。カウンター席もボックス席もある。ハリー・フーディーニのポスターとかが飾ってあった。飲み物のメニューが普通だったかな？ヨーグルトのリキュールとか、ちょっと珍しいのもあった。

After the performance was over and the other customers left, we sat and talked to "Mr. Nande" for quite some time. He has been to America and talked to my American friend about the Magic Castle and various conventions etc.

終わってから、南手さんとマジックの話とかもした。アメリカ人の友達も二瓶さんもアメリカのマジック・キャッスルに行ったことがあるからそういう話とか、マジックのコンベンションの話とかをしていた。

All in all, it was a very nice performance. We were told they aimed at "fun" more than "amazing", especially since they (being a bar) get a lot of people who are very drunk. I also like funny magic more than I like amazing magic (though I like both), and there were many jokes I found very funny.

まとめようとしたら、楽しかった！面白いギャグとかの大好きな僕にとってすごく良かった。バーなので、やっぱり酔っ払いのお客さんとかも来るから「すごい！」というより「面白い！」のを目指しているそうだ。僕の好みにいいね。

Summary:
Location: A short walk from the subway (Sapporo, Japan)
Type of magic: Close up
Quality of magic: Good
Cost: 3500 yen
Interior: Nice
Staff: Very nice
Food & drinks: Drinks, the usual selection.
Overall impression: Very funny. Good use of music and sounds.

まとめ：
場所：地下鉄からちょっと歩く（札幌、すすきの）
マジックの種類：クルーズアップ
マジック：良い
値段：3500円
インテリア：きれい
スタッフ：面白い。優しい。
食べ物・飲み物：飲み物が普通な種類くらい
全体的な印象：面白かった！音楽とかの使い方が良かった。

Kame Hiroshi Live in Ario ・ 亀ひろしライブ＠札幌アリオ

Today when I was buying some new trousers I passed by a small stage in the Sapporo ARIO where Kame Hiroshi was doing some comedy on stage. I did not see much of the show (when I passed by most of it was already over), but he also did some magic. I saw him change silks and float a ball. He was quite funny.

今日アリオで買い物したら、亀ひろしのライブショーもあった。気付いた時にショーがもうほぼ終わっていたが僕が観た分でちょっとマジックもやっていた。シルクの色が変わったりしていたし、ボールが浮いていたし。面白かった。

Me Doing Magic at a BDSM Event

The last Friday of November, I did a magic show at the Rootstock Side Action 2013 bondage event. There were performances by bondage teams, by several bands (rock music), by a funny transvestite, and there was my magic show and a laser show. About 160 people showed up to watch, and there was a quite big stage to perform on. Apart from the performances on the stage, there were snakes and birds of prey to play with, food, drinks, strange clothes and fashion accessories on sale, and you could have tattoos and fangs fixed for you on the spot. You could also try being tied up by bondage experts.

11月の最後の金曜日にルートストック・サイド・アクション2013年というSMイベントでマジックショーをやった。SMショー2組が縛りとかのパフォーマンスをしたし、バンド3組の生演奏もあったし、面白いオカマがいたし、レザーショーもあったし、僕のマジックショー以外も色々あった。お客さん160人くらいが来たそうだ。割と広いステージがあった。ステージのパフォーマンス以外も色々あった。例えば、蛇やふくろう（本物）・フェッチのファッションアクセサリ・牙・タトゥー・飲み物・食べ物。SMのプロに縛って貰う体験コーナーもあった。

I was asked to show up and do my show as a zombie, and if possible to do some bondage themed magic tricks. After leaving work at the university I rushed home and started painting my face. I arrived more or less in time to see the first performance on the stage. My own performance was much later, so I was a bit worried that my makeup would melt away if I started sweating, so I tried to stay away from the hotter rooms and not to exert myself too much.

マジックショー頼まれた時に、ゾンビの格好でやって下さいと言われた。SMショーっぽいマジック何かあったらやって欲しいと言われたし。大学の仕事が終わって、家に帰って必死にゾンビメイクで頑張った。最初のステージパフォーマンスをぎりぎり見れた感じで会場に着いた。僕のパフォーマンスがもっともっと遅い時間だった。メイクが水の弱いので溶けるかって心配していたから、暑くない部屋に行ったり、出来るだけ運動しない様にしたりしていた。

Talking about mind reading

The magic show went fairly well. People seemed to enjoy my tricks. I started with a Tenyo made magic coloring book. It is a fast trick (less than a minute) that is visual, easy to see from far away, and easy to understand even for people who are not listening to what the magician is saying. I often use this as an opener to quickly introduce myself.

マジックショーは割りと無事に終わった。喜んで貰えたみたい。最初はテンヨーネタの絵本を使った。すぐ終わるマジック（1分もかからない）で、ビジュアルで分かり易いマジックで、遠くまで見れるマジックで、説明をちゃんと聞いていなくても伝わるマジックなので、最初の紹介ネタに使う時が多い。

Explaining that the mind reading waves are too weak so the antenna (nail) I am holding in my left hand might be necessary

Next, I had a card picked from a jumbo sized deck of cards, and then tried to mind read what the selected card was using telepathy. The telepathic waves were not strong enough, so I used an antenna (a nail) that I hammered into my nose. Then I could mind read the card.

次、ジャンボサイズのトランプからカード1枚選んで貰った。エスパ的に読み取ろうとしたが電波が悪くてなかなか読み取れなかった。もしかしたら、アンテナが必要ではないかって自分で分かった。アンテナ（釘）を鼻に刺した。刺してから、カードは何のカードだったか、読み取れた。

Hammering the antenna (nail) into my nose

Next I did a short rope trick, since the other performances relied heavily on ropes (tying people up and then whipping them). First I used a Tenyo rope with a Pikachu on it. The rope turns soft or hard depending on magic power. I also used a normal rope which I had a spectator cut in half, and then I made the rope whole again. I also pulled the rope through my body.

その次、ロープマジックをした。SMショーの人たちがよくロープ（縄）を使っていたから、ロープマジックもいいかなと思った。最初テンヨーのピカチュが付いた硬くなったり柔らかくなったりするロープを使った。その後、普通のロープを出して、お客さんに真ん中辺り切って貰った。切られたロープの復活の後、ロープが僕の体を貫通した。

Hammering the nail in the last few centimeters too

Next, I had a card selected, stuffed the whole deck of cards into a slightly suspicious looking bag. I also put the rope from the previous trick into the bag, and stuffed a stuffed rabbit toy in there too. I then had a woman use one of the bondage teams' whip to whip the bag. She was one of the "S" people from one of the other performances, so she whipped me (my hand) hard several times, before actually doing what I asked her to do, haha. After whipping the bag, when pulling the rope out it turned out that the stuffed rabbit had been tied up with the rope into a bondage position, and it had the selected stuck in the rope creations too.

普通のトランプから1枚選んで貰って、若干怪しげな袋にトランプ全部入れた。さっきのマジックのロープも入れた。最後に、ぬいぐるみのウサギも入れた。鞭のプロに鞭で袋たたいて欲しかったがやっぱりSの人で、最初の何回かは僕の手をたたいた。結構痛かった（笑）。やっと頼んだ様に袋をたたいて貰ってから、袋からロープを引っ張り出すとウサギが亀甲縛りになってて、あるところに選んだカードも付いていた。

Me with a nail stuck in my nose, successfully doing mind reading

I gave away the tied up stuffed toy to someone in the audience. I threw it pretty far away to someone who shouted that they wanted it. A month later, I saw the same toy rabbit hung in a bar I visited, so I guess the person who received either visits there or works there.

亀甲縛りになったぬいぐるみを奥のほうのお客さんにあげた。誰が貰ったか、よく見れなかったがその1ヶ月後、たまたま行ったバーに僕が使っていたウサギが飾ってあった！貰った人がそこのお客さんか店員か分からないが偶然でまた出会ったね。

The rabbit from my show, found by chance in a bar a month later

My final trick was a card trick where I signed card ended up inside an unopened (factory sealed) PET-bottle. I gave the PET-bottle with the card inside away to the girl who had signed the card.

最後にカード1枚選んで貰って、サインして貰った。サインされたカードが新品のペットボトルに入った。そのペットボトルをサインしてくれた女の子にあげた。

Me and the event organizer

The other performances were very good. I liked the bondage performances very much (I had only seen one bondage performance before this, when the event organizer took me to a bondage club to see a show so I knew what goes on in such shows so I could make magic tricks with a similar theme). The transvestite was very funny, I am told, though I missed almost all of it since I was on after him and had to be backstage getting ready. The bands were also very good, and they were super nice to talk too at the after party too. The things on sale were interesting, and the food was good too. The spectators were funny too. Some people showed up in quite spectacular outfits.

他のパフォーマンスも良かった。SMショーが両方凄いきれいだった。その前にSMショーを見たことが1回しかなかった。SMショーに合わせたマジックをやって欲しいと言われて、イベントの人と勉強のためにSMクラブのショーを見に行った。イベントのオカマも凄く面白かったと言われたが僕のパフォーマンスがその次だったからほとんど見れなかった。バンドも良かった。打ち上げでバンドのメンバーと話すのも楽しかったし。ブースも面白かった。食べ物も美味しかったし。来てくれたお客さんも面白い人がいっぱいいっぱいいた。面白い格好の人も沢山来ていた。

I also wrote about Rootstock Side Action 2013 and uploaded photos I took myself to my non-magic blog about things that happen to me in Sapporo.

ルートストック・サイド・アクション2013年の写真とかをマジック関係ないブログにもアップした。