Have you ever been to a maid cafe, MMM?
I`ve been to a few, and have a friend who worked in one for a few years. The image they have is a lot different than reality. It really IS a normal cafe - just with the sales point of girls dressed up as maids and acting like them.

In fact, they`re pretty famous for being extremely disappointing for any guys looking for something more than just a regular cafe with a bit of eye candy. Unlike other places catering to men, the only thing making it uncomfortable for a girl to go into a maid cafe would be the other customers. They`re definitely not キャバクラ-lite.

No, I know, Nyororin. But if someone is simply looking for a good cup of coffee and a place to chill, Akihabara maid cafes are probably not the most economical way to go. I have been to a couple...looked at the menu at the window, and decided spending 2000 yen on a banana split was not money well spent.

Naturally there are all kinds and all levels and price ranges. The "Mother" cafes at the top of the Mandarake shops are pretty tame, but at the same time, if you want a good cup of coffee for 600 yen, there are many better places to go, usually within blocks.

If I implied a maid cafe was like a strip club, then that is my fault. They are not. You get much more for your money at a strip club.

Thanks for the clarification. It sounded like you were lumping them together with the more "service" type places. (キャバクラ, hostess club, and the like)... When they`re really just overpriced cafes with a chance of getting a girl in a maid costume to maybe feed you a spoonful of something (if you`re lucky). Usually it`s just some cutesy submissive greeting with the maid outfit server pretending you are very important - and nothing else.

A waste of money for most of it, but at the same time it can be an amusing and unique experience without any overt sexuality and cost obligations as in a キャバクラ/hostess club.

They usually are top notch in food quality, and obviously in general service (as that is the whole point). If you just want a good cup of coffee and a place to sit down for a while though, I agree there are better places. But there is nothing wrong with just getting a cup of coffee and relaxing - you don`t have to pay for the maid to come over and talk to you, or spoon feed you, or any of the other silly cutesy services they offer. A maid cafe can actually be cheaper than a regular cafe in the same area if you don`t want any of the service frills - of course, without the frills there is no reason to go to one.

A hostel hopping university student could certainly find a better way to to burn his money.

Ditto. But it's an experience, right? If you're in the area, why not, right?


And for M - for some reason I can't reach those stakes in my back. Somehow, those comments were a bit more crippling than I thought... Ah well, there's some truth in it.

The one I went to had a 30 minute wait to get in and a 2 hour limit to your stay. And the guys wearing their huge bulky costumes would always bump into my arm while passing by. (Yes, there are many cosplay/anime fanatics who dress up to attend these cafes.)

Not exactly the most relaxing atmosphere but it was a worthwhile experience. I nearly picked up one of the maids since she was coming to Canada on a working holiday visa and wanted to spend some more time talking to me. Unfortunately, the exchange of personal info between the customers and maids is forbidden. :mad:

For some reason you take all of my comments as personal attacks. I don't know you at all. I am just responding to your questions.

Nah, M. I'm only joking around, don't worry about it.

As for you, Tuna, you should've asked her when her shift was over - hung around a bit and then went for some coffee at the cafe conveniently beside you.

I have to admit that meeting people is really awesome - foreigners, especially. It opens up your world - gives you a different perspective.

Haha! If only it were that easy.

Once their shift is done, the girls are whisked away into a waiting minivan to escape the potential stalkers. :eek:

You're kidding? Now... that... I didn't expect... That's pretty cool, though. It's perfectly understandable, I suppose, though.