Kaidan Restaurant

is a Japanese children's storybook series. The books take the form of horror anthologies, edited by Miyoko Matsutani and illustrated by Yoshikazu Takai and Kumiko Katō. As of 2007, there were 50 volumes published by Doshinsha. Over 8 million copies of the books have published so far.

The books were adapted into a TV anime series by Toei Animation, which began airing in 2009. It derives its name from "kaidan", which, here, loosely translates as "thriller" (from "kai", meaning strange, mysterious, rare or bewitching apparition, and "dan", meaning talk or recited narrative; a more direct translation would be a ghost or horror story). Rather than forming a linear plot, the anime follows the anthology format of the book and tells a collection of ghost stories similar to what would be traditionally told around a campfire. The anime was frequently among the 10 highest rated anime shows of the week in Japan.

The series was adapted into a hybrid live-action and anime feature film in 2010 starring Ayano Kudo.

Plot
TV Asahi announced a new kids anime "Kaidan Restaurant (Thriller Restaurant)" based on a picture book. Each episode will consist of three stories or dishes: the appetizer, the main dish, and dessert. The first two dishes will deal with an ordinary sixth-grade schoolgirl named Ako Ozara and the bizarre occurrences that befall her classmates. The third dish will be a standalone short ghost story told by Ako and her friends.