The Whales of August, named after the 1987 drama, is a movie-themed bar in Tokyo where customers can order drinks named after their favorite films. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
In an alleyway just about a block from the world’s busiest street crossing, the Shibuya Scramble in Tokyo, cinephiles will find a bar built just for them.
The Whales of August, named after the 1987 movie starring Bette Davis, Lillian Gish and Vincent Price, is a movie-themed bar where customers can order drinks named after their favorite films, from “The Shining” to “Love Actually.”
Finding the bar isn’t hard. It’s in an old, wooden building and sticks out from its neighbors. Inside, however, it’s a much nicer experience than some of the surrounding establishments.
A poster for Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” greets patrons at the Whales of August in Tokyo. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The interior is covered with movie posters, including “The Sting” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford and the Stanley Kubrick classics “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “A Clockwork Orange.”
Movie themes play all night. It was fun to make a game of matching the songs with their films. My friend and I identified the music from “Spider-Man,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “The Exorcist.”
The Whales of August can seat around 100 people, and there is a 500 yen — about $3.37 — table charge. Get there early in the evening, especially on weekends, when it fill ups by 9 p.m. Reservations are not accepted.
Patrons can order drinks named after their favorite films at Whales of August in Tokyo's Shibuya district. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
English menus are available, and it is massive, with more than 100 movie-themed cocktails. Beside each drink is a code: S for short, L for long or F for frozen.
My favorite drink, for 750 yen, was named after “Amadeus,” the 1984 fictionalized version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life. This drink includes chocolate liqueur from Mozart Distillery, based in Salzburg, Austria. Very sweet and perfect for chocolate fans.
The Clockwork Orange drink from the Whales of August bar in Shibuya. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
I also ordered a Shawshank Redemption for 900 yen, a frozen blue liqueur drink that tastes like sherbert; and a Clockwork Orange for 939 yen, also frozen liqueur, orange flavored and topped with more oranges.
The kitchen serves a tasty beef stew with mushroom for 1,200 yen and boiled sausage and prosciutto, both for 939 yen.
The Whales of August is a must for cinephiles; the drink service is its own experience, and yet so affordable.
