Unfortunately, I have been unable to blog as much this past month due to taking a couple weeks off to vacation in Japan.
No regrets at all.
If I hadn’t gone on vacation I would not have been able to go to the Anata No Warehouse which is translated to ‘Your Warehouse,’ a five story arcade located in Kawasaki. This seedy and grimy building was modeled after the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. This underground cyberpunk gem has been on my list of must-see locations to visit for some time, and to be able to stop by this slice of heaven was a dream come true. Any cyberpunk enthusiast would love this place.
Below are a compilation of images I took:
Outside the Anata No Warehouse. Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
One thing that immediately grabs you before walking in is how gigantic the entire building actually is on the outside. It blends very well into the background of modern Japan with a sleek and traditional design, but when you get to the bottom levels it transforms into an entirely different entity…
“Welcome to the Warehouse.” Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
After entering the warehouse’s initial doors, there’s a sliding door that looks like the image above complete with whoosh sounds and a jet stream of smoke as if you’ve entered a room on the Death Star from Star Wars.
Pebble Pathway. Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
Going in further the arcade there’s a hole in the nearby wall that leads to another entrance/exit from the parking lot side that looks like the above picture. It has these cool stone pebbles and moldy old pipes used as handrails hovering over a green tinted floor with water spewing from both sides. Truly, an incredible sight to behold.
Red Elevators. Photos by Andrew Insomnia.
In order to get to the different floors one must access them via the traditional escalator route or take these magnificently designed elevators covered in faux posters and Chinese words. Guess which one I took?
Danger, Electricity! Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
A door for the power, real or replica? We’ll never know. It was next to the elevator and with neon signs sprawled across, you know I had to take a picture to commemorate.
Chicken Stand. Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
A very good replica of Kowloon Walled City’s streets. They even got the chicken stand right. It’s a shame they couldn’t replicate the native smell.
Gamers got to game. Photo by Andrew Insomnia.
One of five floors of arcade games. People of all ages were there and by the smell in the air, smoking was definitely allowed. There was every type of game you could imagine at this facility including: pool, ping pong, crane machines, racing, and even poker (for you gambling fiends)!
Long story short, if you’re ever in Kawasaki, Japan and you have a thing for cyberpunk aesthetics or have the urge to dive into the underbelly of the Hong Kong world, then you absolutely need to visit Anata No Warehouse. End of story.