Japan’s first bar for retro Japanese video games opens in Akihabara, offers arcade games and merch galore

Nostalgic gamers in Japan now have a spot to relive their favorite retro Japanese games -- in Tokyo’s video gaming mecca, no less.

Tokyo Video Gamers, a newly-opened game bar in Akihabara, is the first game bar of its kind in Japan. Officially licensed by a number of Japanese video game companies, the bar serves up cocktails on glasses and coasters themed after retro Japanese video games.

Most of the designs for the coasters feature classic elements from the original games, even for long-running series with modern-day releases, like The King of Fighters and Guilty Gear.

The nostalgia doesn’t just come with the drinks, however. Patrons of the bar can dust off their gaming skills through the playable arcade machines scattered across the bar. And despite Tokyo Video Gamers’ overall retro theme, its interior design is anything but. Neon lights illuminating an otherwise dark background is reminiscent of modern gaming PCs and their exposed, flashy interiors.

Anyone who orders one of the game companies’ collaboration drinks receives a game-themed coaster for free, but the bar also provides a space filled with game-related goods for fans who want to splurge on merchandise instead.