Japan has an abundance of themed cafes and restaurants where you can visit your favourite fantasy land whilst dining on food in that theme. Recently, 夏帆 and I visited the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Café in Harajuku. I had no idea what to expect, having never been to a themed café such as this before, and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived.

The whole café is underground, and to get there you must walk down a staircase decorated like wonderland. Seating in the café is on an immobile carousel, and large books with excerpts from the novel rest on the walls. The staff are dressed as either Alice or the Mad Hatter, and work hard to keep you in the Wonderland mood, explaining your food and its relevance and significance in the world of Alice and the Mad Hatter's tea party.

The most popular food choices are the set meals, where you can choose a main {think Cheshire Cat spaghetti or Card pizza} which is made up to look like one of the characters, have access to the drink bar – featuring a plethora of drinks as well as several bizarre and wonderful tea varieties - , as well as a dessert plate. This will cost around 1500 円, so about $15AUD.

My one piece of advice is to get there early, at around 11:00am, as the café is so popular that coming during the lunchtime rush may see you lining up for a while. When you are in the café, allow yourself to be pulled in to wonderland, and make sure to take plenty of photos! There really is a different atmosphere and mood, and while some might find it slightly creepy and Disney-esque, others {like 夏帆} really enjoys immersing themselves in the world of their favourite book or movie.

-H