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Concept cafés are not uncommon in Japan, but Sanatorium is undoubtedly one of the strangest of them. As its name suggests, it’s themed after a retro tuberculosis sanatorium and it takes its theme quite seriously—perhaps not for the faint of heart.
The interior of the café is decorated with medical miscellanea bordering on the bizarre, including an operating light, vintage anatomy models, various surgical implements, and even a taxidermy penguin wearing a stethoscope. The order will be brought on an emesis basin instead of an ordinary tray, snacks are shaped after laxative tablets, and ice cream floats come in 500-millilitre Griffin beakers.
The staff, referred to as Fushigiko-chan (“weird girl”), is dressed in a nurse’s costume but not quite a typical cosplay: it’s a white pinafore over a gray dress, based on the uniform worn by German nurses during the First World War. On the other hand, Takamasa Sumi, the owner and creator of the café, is called the Director, as in, the head of a museum.
In fact, the café itself is a sort of art project initiated by Sumi, designed to be an annex for his “Wonder Museum.” Located in the suburbs of Fukuoka, the museum is a treasure trove of the weird, a warehouse filled with Sumi’s sculptures that marries subculture and surrealism. Its centerpiece is a huge sculpture of a tardigrade, while its mascot is an original character called Toneriko, a spherical calico cat with angel wings, who can also be found at Sanatorium.
As it’s located in a rather remote mountainous area, access to the Museum is limited unless you have a car or take a taxi, and not only that, it’s only open once monthly, on every second Sunday. The annex café, on the other hand, is a lot more accessible as it’s near the city center (if a little hidden) and open four days a week, from Friday to Monday. It also moonlights as an art gallery, highlighting subculture-inspired indie artists and switching its exhibition every month.
The café’s menu is quite unique, sometimes a bit of a gross-out but also delightfully good. The sweets include homemade custard pudding, fruit jelly, parfait and pancake, topped with a variety of fresh-cut fruits and a white chocolate molded in the shape of Toneriko’s head. With a wall covered with artworks and a shelf full of peculiar books—from Lewis Carroll to Edward Gorey to numerous mangas of the body horror genre—it’s sure to keep you entertained in the world of the weird.
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