There's only one truth — Tokyo’s “detective café” lets you live out a day as a detective

Consumer Center / Taipei Report

Detectives have always been a popular theme in novels, comics, and movies. It’s hard for most people to actually become a detective, but this“detective café”lets you experience a day as a detective’s assistant. This café isn’t just a themed café,in fact, the shop itself is a real detective agency, and all the bartenders are active-duty detectives.

▲ Tokyo’s “detective cafés” are all themed around detective agencies, and offer plenty of hands-on activities. Even the owners and bartenders are active-duty detectives. (Photo / courtesy of ITmedia the same source below)

The “Detective Café” (探偵Cafe プログレス) is located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. During the day it functions as a café, and at night transforms into a small bar. From the entrance, it looks like a detective office — and yes, this café is genuinely a detective agency. Whether it’s the owner or the other bartenders, they’re all active-duty detectives. In addition to fans of detective stories who come to pay homage, many clients stop by for coffee before hiring the detectives for an investigation.

▲ Crime scene setups and faceless suspect models are available for photos.

The interior of the shop is full of surprises for detective fans. Aside from special scenes like crime scenes and criminal mugshots, the most unique offering is the chance for guests to experience services such as “police evidence comparison,” “listening device detection,” and “fingerprint collection,” guided by professional detectives to make their detective dreams come true.

“Listening device detection” involves staff pre-hiding listening devices and then teaching guests how to use detectors to find them. “Fingerprint collection” is the only paid service in the shop, where guests can use a set of tools to collect their own fingerprint samples for a fee of 800 yen (about NT$200).

▲ You can also experience being the criminal.

▲ You can also try using professional detectors to search for listening devices.

▲ “Fingerprint collection” is the only paid experience, allowing you to use professional tools to get your own fingerprints.

探偵カフェ　プログレス
Address: 2-47-12 Dai-Ni Kizuna Building, 9th Floor, Ikebukuro 2-chome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo(About a 3-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station North Exit)
Phone: 03-6698-2263
Business Hours
BAR: PM 7:00 – Last Order AM 4:00
Cafe: AM 11:30 – PM 5:30