Popular Japanese traditional house restaurant features a robot waiter that dances the wave dance!

Reported and photographed by reporter Li Zi Yi / Saga Prefecture, Kyushu

The Kyushu region is famous for railway tourism, where distinctive and popular trains always attract many railway enthusiasts of all ages, making it a hotspot for family trips. In Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, there is a traditional house restaurant with a robot waiter dedicated to entertaining children—telling jokes, playing games, and even performing amusing dance moves. This robot has become the restaurant’s signature attraction, drawing visitors from all over.

▲ This traditional-style restaurant in Saga features an adorable robot waiter who performs the wave dance. (Photo / Reporter Li Zi Yi, same below)

▲ Conekuri used to be a straw sandal shop and was later designated as a valuable national cultural heritage site.

From the outside, Conekuri is a simple wooden single-story building that was once a straw sandal shop and has since been designated as a national cultural heritage site—it’s truly a traditional house restaurant. Part of the interior is dedicated to selling cultural and creative goods, featuring handmade items from locals and Arita-yaki ceramic cups and bowls. Opened in February 2015, the restaurant gained fame in just over a year thanks to its unique robot waiter. In addition, the food served here is also exceptional, featuring fresh vegetables and tea produced in Saga—both are must-order menu favorites.

▲ In addition to dining, the restaurant has a section selling cultural and creative goods.

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Through the touchscreen on its chest, you can interact with the robot—play games, ask it to dance, or tell jokes. This robot, named Pepper, is produced by SoftBank and is specifically designed to entertain children. The whole robot features a white and gray color scheme, with large eyes that change lights during play. The store says Pepper costs 198,000 yen, plus 30,000 yen per month for communication and insurance fees, totaling at least 1.3 million yen over three years. Among Pepper’s 54 functions, the most popular ones are making funny faces, dancing, and playing game challenges.

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