If you spend some time in AKIHABARA district, you cannot miss the girls dressed as “maids” in the streets that promote the many MAID CAFES of the area. As I was looking for lunch after exploring many manga shops, I was dragged into one of them by one of these giggling young girls who insisted it would be “so much fun”. I was honestly wondering what I was getting myself into… but the curiosity was stronger. So what is actually a “maid cafe” ?

It is a small restaurant, which looks a bit like a 50’s American dinners, where you are being served by “maids”. When you arrive your maid welcomes you and… also mention your arrival to the other customers, resulting in everybody clapping happily. Then you are given your “fun passport” (a little card on which the maid writes your name), and the madness can start !

Every time the maid brings you some drinks or food, you have to perform a little song with her, and make cute heart signs with your fingers. Because everything here is about KAWAII !!! Even the food. I mean look at this absolutely adorable teddy bear made of chicken and rice ^^.

Then the maids perform a little show on a stage: a few songs with a kawaii choregraphy. After that, the customers are called one by one to take a picture with the maids (a Polaroid which is included in the meal package. You are not allowed to take other pictures in the restaurant, well I obviously cheated a little bit…)

There were all kind of people there: a couple on a date, a group of tourists, Japanese girls on a shopping day, and yes a few (creepy) guys, especially one that carried with him an extensive collection of maid pictures ! But to be clear, the place didn’t have a creepy feeling overall. However I went for lunch, I don’t know how it is at night…

I must say it was quite a surreal moment, but if you are looking for a crazy “only in Japan” experience then you should give it a try. I heard that the same thing also exist with male butlers… to be tested next time!

The café I tested was MAIDREAMIN Akihabara Electric Town-exit store

Takarada-chuodori-BLDG 2F-3F 1-14-1

Sotokanda,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

The same group has many other cafes in Tokyo (Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Divercity) but also in Nagoya and Osaka. You can find all the addresses here : http://maidreamin.com/en/shop/list