The Bar With Penguins Inside

In my last few days back in my hometown, Montreal had just opened its first cat cafe. In comparison, being that Tokyo has 39 of them at this point, opening a cat cafe is no longer as exciting and daring a business venture as it once was. And so it became that "The Bar With Penguins Inside" opened.
 The first of its kind in Tokyo, I suspect the penguin bar is nothing if not a giant ploy to one-up the other crazy restaurants and cafes and bars opening throughout the metropolis.
But boy, does it work.

Though I've had no luck getting in in the past, I was successful in doing so this time by simply agreeing to go in at whatever time they said they had an opening on. The bar does tend to get pretty full (on weekends especially,) so an advance reservation is probably recommended, and the website even allows you to do so in English. I eventually got the following phone call after dropping in an online reservation for 8 o' clock.

 "Hello, mister....Sheen?"
 "Sean."
 "You...uhh...reservation...uhh..."
 "Yes?"
 "..."
 "I can come in at 8?"
 "No."
 "Oh."
 "..."
 "What time are you open?"
 "Oh. You speak Japanese?"
 "Kind of."
 "You can come at 10."
 "Alright bye!"

 Well, he gets credit for trying.
 As you enter the penguin bar, frames of penguins adorn the walls and screens appear to be playing that "March of the Penguins" documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman. And, at the back of the room, are the three stars of the establishment. Granted, they're separated from the rest of the bar by a wall of glass, but yes, The Bar With Penguins Inside is true to its name. As much as I would have liked the penguins to actually walk around the bar and mingle with them, I'm pretty sure that has more to do with licensing and making sure the animals aren't being treated in a bizarre or cruel manner.

We had a moment there.

 Once you get to meet them, they're pretty friendly! They come up to the glass and greet you in their wobbly kind of way, and open their mouths as if to nibble on your fingers while they swim around.
 Truth be told, other than that and the sparse decorations and screens, the place runs like any other run-of-the-mill bar, with food and drinks being rather normal. The party room looked rather disappointing, being the farthest away from the penguins. There were iron-cast pig heads on the walls, and that was a little strange.
 I guess you could raise the argument that putting penguins in a bar with loud drunk people, behind a glass wall is inhumane and whatnot, but it'd be a pretty boring argument that everyone's heard already. Just being honest! Yes, though, that's a valid concern. But speculation brings us nowhere.
 So if you want to pose with penguins, or, as the bar's website mentions, hold a wedding after-party reception, then check out The Bar With Penguins Inside. It...holds true to its name!