In case you are wondering, we are not talking about a Gaming Den where shuffling of Mahjong tiles and punter shouting ‘Blackjack!” can be heard constantly. We are talking about one where you can take your gaming experience to a whole new level beyond your keyboard, mouse or controller.

NXND Computer (NXND) has started this Gaming Lounge which is figuratively a game centre that provides an immersive gaming experience through motion platforms or Virtual Reality which is largely centred on “combat” flying and racing simulation games.

Inspiration for Gaming Lounge

NXND has jokingly shared that the inspiration came from COVID19. One of the cofounder of NXND, Guan Tdee discovered a gaming community in Singapore consisting of individuals who are interested in virtual flying simulation. While its fun and engaging to meet in the virtual skies, there is lack of actual social interactions between such groups in Singapore.

I thought if I need to gather like-minded gamers together to share fun and knowledge and chill out, there must be a lounge or café that is enticing enough to make them “get out of their seat”.

-Guan Tdee (NXND Computer)

It was later expanded to include other game genre beyond just flight simulation.

What’s available at the Gaming Lounge?

There are various programmes to choose from. You are try out their immersive motion simulation with a choice of driving or flying on their motion platform.

Then there is a choice of a static panoramic screen, or VR. Team gaming (i.e. DOTA,CS,ArmA 3 and more) of up to 4 players are also available. More details are available on their site.

Booking and Opening Hours

Booking:
Booking is needed to get a slot for the Gaming Lounge on their website at https://www.nxndcomputers.sg/book-online. Alternatively, you can whatsapp them at +65 9825-7608.

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 9am – 6pm and on appointment
Sat: 9am – 2pm and on appointment
Sun: On appointment

Address:
2022 Bukit Batok Industrial Park A Street 23 #01-138 Mezzanine, Singapore

With events cancelled or going online like the the latest edition of Anime Festival Asia, there is little place to go to satisfy your craving for all-things Japanese. Of course flying to Japan is impossible too at the moment.

Enter the new Rilakkuma themed Cafe by Kumoya Cafe. This pop-up cafe will be open for 6 months starting on 29 August 2020. Do note that this is a new Kumoya branch at Orchard Central. Their first cafe, Kumoya Singapore @ 8 Jalan Klapa, is still open but features not Rilakkuma but Bad-Barth-Maru and Gudetama.

For the uninitiated, Rilakkuma is a popular San-X character from Japan which translate loosely to “relaxing bear”. It has struck a chord with the generally hardworking Japanese simply with the idea of “let’s just relax” that is the epitome of the character.

Getting to the Cafe

Located at Orchard Central level 4, finding the place is not difficult at all. At the time of writing, the cafe does not allow reservation and only walk-in is allowed. So be prepared to queue for a period of time to get in.

We queued for about 50 minutes at around 1:30pm on a Thursday afternoon (we are there not as a media invite). Given it is still consider lunch hours when we are there, expect a shorter time during off peak hours like 3-5pm. And be prepared for a longer queue on weekends.

Customers are entitled to a maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes in the restaurant. And with safe distancing, there are limited seating capacity. On the positive side, the experience overall is better with less people in the cafe. After all this is Rilakkuma – The Relax Cafe isn’t it?

The Food

Food-wise the selections are quite complete. From pasta to rice, desserts and drinks, you will be spoilt for choices. However, do not expect the price to be easy on the wallet. Each main is about $25-29. This is the typical pricing of such theme cafe.

We ordered the Chill-out Rilakkuma Yuzu Carbonara ($23.90), Chirpy Kiroiitori Beef Stew Rice ($23.90), Rilakuma Sweet Honey Pancake ($25.90) and a Lycee Momo Iced Tea with Chocolate ($13.90). Each dish is beautifully decorated ready for an Instagram moment. Taste-wise, while it is not something I will keep coming back for, it is fairly decent compared to other theme cafe we have been to.

The Merchandise

Beside the cashier counter, there is a corner full of kawaii Rilakkuma merchandise. Be sure to visit it while you are there. If you are a plushies lover, you will be glad to find some rare Rilakkuma plushies on sale there.

Overall

With the COVID-19 situation, visiting the cafe is one of the only way to get closer to a holiday experience. We would recommend a visit to the cafe if you are a fan of Rilakkuma.

The Location

Rilakkuma – The Relax Cafe

Address:

Kumoya @ Orchard Central: 181 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238896, #04-09

Opening hours:

Mon-Sun, 11am to 9:30pm

Anime and manga fan will know about this event. Happening now from 29 Nov (Fri) to 1 Dec (Sun) 2019, C3 AFA 2019 will bring you all things related to Japanese Anime and Manga culture. From cosplayer to games and merchandise, there are just so many things to do and see. Here are some of the things to look out for:

Pop Team Epic Shrine

Get your fortune told at the Pop Team Epic Shrine! Just scan a unique QR code and check out your fortune. I’d fortune telling is not your thing, simply take picture with their Tori gate and tell your friends you are in japan.

Takashi Nations Booth

Gundam fans be sure to visit the booth to see a 4m tall Gundam model. Besides that, you can also see the many new toys and figurine offer from Takashi Nations.

AFA PLAY stage

Something new this year is the play stage where you can watch gaming competition. Games include One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows and Disney Tsum Tsum festival. You can also sit down and play some PlayStation games in their comfy bean bag.

Walk down a manga gallery

Ever wonder what does a manga artist do to get you your manga? Walk down the manga gallery to learn more. Presented by Manga Plus.

Bandai Namco Entertainment

Do you know Pac-Man is developed by Namco? The same company now called Bandai Namco Entertainment is still making games till today. You might have already played some of their titles before. At their booth there is a few notable games to try. One Punch Man: Hero Nobody Knows is a fighting game featuring different classes of Heroes in the famous One Punch Man series.

There is also Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris for you to ‘dive’ into the wonderful virtual realty world.

Tsum Tsum fans can also try out the Tsum Tsum festival game for some multiplayer fun in the Nintendo Switch.

Anisong Karaoke at WACAVA booth

At the WACAVA booth you can get a chance to perform karaoke anisong on stage complete with your own audience! This is not just for fun but WACAVA is actually holding real audition to discover the next anisong singer. Be sure to sign up if you have what it takes or simple sign for fun!

Akiba Stage

Music, Guest Cosplayer and dance performance. This is the place to be for pure energetic events. Check out the stage schedule below

BanG Dream Girls Band Party – A new ANIPLUS cafe at Esplanade

A brand new ANIPLUS cafe is opening on the 29 Nov 2019 at The Esplanade Mall Unit 01-13C. The theme of the cafe from now till mid Jan 2020 will feature BanG Dream Girls Band Party. Besides food inspired by multimedia project, there will be exclusive merchandise for you to purchase at the cafe. Be sure to visit them!

Cosplayers

This is the day where people wouldn’t judge you (as much) when you dress up as your favorite character form the 2D world. Even if you are not a cosplayer, coming to AFA and seeing everyone in cosplayer is quite an experience by itself. Remember if you want to take photo of the cosplayer, do seek permission.

There are also guests cosplayer including Enako from Japan who is dubbed Japan’s no. 1 cosplayer!