Random Encounter: Deep-fried Gnocchi

After visiting Unit club in Daikanyama to watch The Big Pink live, my partner and I went for dinner at the Sign Cafe, right next to Daikanyama station. The entire ceiling and most of the walls of this cafe are decorated in hex-map style, and on the ceiling near the door a ring of hexagons has been marked with the numbers 1 to 6, with a 7th hexagon in the centre labeled Random Direction. That’s right folks, this cafe had an old-fashioned hex-crawl map on its ceiling. Only in Japan could this be cool. The official website tells me that the wall graphic was designed by “Groovisions,” and the interior design was by a chap called Matt and a certain Lee Myeong-Hee (a woman’s name, I think). One of these three people is a role-player or a war-gamer, I think. And undoubtedly of a certain age.

You can see more photos of the groovy drink coasters and the decking at this woman’s blog. The food was good and the drinks menu both reasonably priced (unusual for Daikanyama maybe, which has an upmarket image) and quite varied (for a cafe). Unfortunately when I visited the cafe it didn’t look anything like those pictures – on a dark and stormy night it was not quite so sunny, and all the glass made it cold. If you visit, you will undoubtedly do so with a girl; bear in mind that they have blankets under the seats, you may need them in winter. It’s 2 minutes from Unit and last order is at 10, so you can get back there for a drink after a mid-week band. Maybe, if you ask nicely, you can play an upside down wargame on the ceiling…