Merry Heart

Location: Tokyo : Akihabara : Suehiro-cho Area

Last Visited: September 2006

Following people should go:

- People who want to interact with ‘otaku’ maids

Costume: modified European maid style / various colors

Total Budget: 1500 yen ~ 2000 yen

Service Charge:

Counter seats: 500 yen

Table seats: 300 yen after 5:00 pm

Time Limit: make 1 order every 1 hour

English Menu: available

Stamp Card: available

Communication Notebook: hidden

CHEKI Photo Shooting: available (I forgot the price…….)

Hours: 11:00 ~ 22:00

Web Site: http://merryheart.jp/

Access:

map <- click!!

From Suehiro-cho station exit number 2, head two blocks north, and turn right. You will see a stand-up sign saying “Merry Heart” on the right, which you cannot miss. You can also walk from Akihabara station if you wish, since it is only a station away by subway.

Comment:

You will be surprised how ‘otaku’ or maniac the maids are at this maid bar. It seems maids in Akihabara are usually otaku in some ways, but most of them cannot express it since they are bounded by a strict service manual. Of course this bar also seems to have a manual, but enough freedom is given to the maids that they can freely express their otaku-ness while working in the bar. :-p

So far, I know only one maid in this bar who can speak English, so you may not be able to enjoy this aspect if you could not speak Japanese. Although, they do have English menu, and it is a good maid bar to begin with, so I recommend you to visit this place if you have a chance. Indeed, you may encounter me here, since this is one of the two maid cafe/bar in Akihabara that I visit quite often.

To add to the information above, Wireless LAN is available for free at this place. Communication notebooks are available, but you need to ask maids to get hold of it. It is not popular to the point that some new maids don’t even know that they exist, so keep that in mind. :-p

Sorry!

Sorry for not updating this site for a while!!
If you let me make an excuse, I have been very busy with my new job lately. Although, I have not given up on updating this web site, so please please PLEASE do not stop checking it out!

Maid Station Cafe

Location: Tokyo : Akihabara : Denki-gai Area

Last Visited: August 2006

Following people should go:

- People who want to see high quality maid cafe.

- People who want to eat lunch/dinner.

Costume: classic French maid style / dark brown / mini skirt

Total Budget: 500 yen ~ 1500 yen

Service Charge: none

Time Limit: none

English Menu: ???

Stamp Card: not available

Communication Notebook: ???

CHEKI Photo Shooting: ???

Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tue~Fri: 12:00~22:00

Weekends & Holidays: 11:00~22:00

Web Site: http://blog.livedoor.jp/lovemaid/

Access:

map <- click!!

Exit from Denki-gai exit at the Akihabara Station, and head to north-west direction. It is the 4^th floor of the building where 1^st floor is a regular cafe, and 2^nd ~ 4^th floors are all maid cafes. There is a big sign saying “I love MAID” (with love being heart, just like I ‘love’ NEWYORK logo), which you cannot miss.

Comment:

Once you step in, you will be impressed by the sophisticated interior matched in white. The maid uniform is very cute but also classy. Indeed, I like their uniform the most out of all maid cafe uniforms.

What is unique about this cafe is that you need to take off your shoes and change in slippers. Also, it was very interesting to see a great selection of Japanese meals despite its western atmosphere. I have never eaten their food yet, but it seemed like serious meals for what is served in a cafe.

I highly recommend this place. It is closed on Monday, so be careful!! (It took me two attempts to figure this out. :-p )

@home saboh

Location: Tokyo : Akihabara : Denki-gai Area

Last Visited: August 2006

Following people should go:

- People who want to see unique maid cafe.

- People who like classic Japanese styles

- People who like classy atmosphere

Costume: Classic Japanese Maid Style (Kimono with Hakama)/pink

Total Budget: 1500 yen ~ 2000 yen

Service Charge:

Ume-no ma (counter seats) & Sakura-no ma (table seats): 300 yen

Matsu-no ma (small room): 500 yen

Time Limit: 90 minutes

English Menu: available

Stamp Card: not available

Communication Notebook: available only in Matsu-no ma (small room)

Check-it! Photo Shooting: available (I forgot the price…….)

Web Site: http://www.cafe-athome.com/saboh/

Access:

map

Exit from Denki-gai exit at the Akihabara Station, and head to north-west direction. It is located on the 5th floor of the building whose 1st floor is PC store called DOS-para. 4^th ~ 7^th floors are all maid-related, so it may be easy to locate. Also, they usually have a standing signboard on the street.

Comment:

This is one of the three cafes for @home group, the famous maid cafe franchise who even offers a dry cleaning service (!) When the word “moe” won “Ryuh-kou-go Taisho” (The annual award given to the popular words of the year), the maids from @home cafe showed up to the ceremony to receive the award.

Unlike the other two, @home saboh features Japanese style maids, who are dressed in Kimono and Hakama. They call male customers “Danna-sama” instead of “Goshujin-sama” (both means “master”, but I guess the first one is more Japanese…. (-_- ;; ). They are well trained, and it is impressing to hear their perfectly synchronized greeting, “Okaerinasaimase, Danna-sama/Ojou-sama!” (Welcome home, master/my lady!), when you arrive at the cafe. (It is not well synchronized when they are all busy, but please do not complain. The true gentleman/lady should be generous to his/her maids. ;-p)

The interior of the cafe is also quite Japanese, where they have three types of seats. “Ume-no ma” consists of counter seats surrounding tatami area, where maids work in. “Sakura-no ma” consists of table seats by the windows. “Matsu-no ma” is a small tatami room with low tables, where you get more opportunities to talk to maids and access to extra stuff, like communication notebook, comic strip drawn by maids, etc. Also, there is a small origami crane in Matsu-noma, which has a message from a maid when you open it up, and you can take it home as a souvenir. There are only two tables in “Matsu-no ma”, so it is difficult to get hold of them. You cannot move seats once you pick one. Also, you are required to pay 300 yen service charge for the first two types of seats, but 500 yen for the last one.

I personally like this cafe a lot, and recommend to many people when I am asked for a suggestion. I think it is due to its classy and calm atmosphere. The waitresses are quite professional, and interior is quite roomy and nice. I heard you get to hear a maid playing Taisho-goto (Type of Koto, Japanese horizontal harp) once a while, but I have never heard it yet. It is not usually crowded, probably since it is not a typical maid cafe. This place may not be good for people who want to go to a typical maid cafe, but if you are on tour to explore different maid cafes in Akihabara, I strongly recommend you to add this one to your list.

Cure Maid Cafe

Location: Tokyo : Akihabara : Denki-gai Area

Last Visited: August 2006

Following people should go:

- People who want to take a break after long expedition in Akihabara.

- People who want to see the very first maid café.

Costume: Classic English Maid Style/black/long skirt

Total Budget: 500 ~ 1000 yen

Service Charge: none

Time Limit: ??? minutes when cafe is crowded

English Menu: ???

Stamp Card: available

Communication Notebook: not available

Web Site: http://www.curemaid.jp/

Access:

map

Exit from Denki-gai exit at the Akihabara Station, and head to north-west direction. It is located on the 6th floor of the building whose 1st floor is filled with gacha-pon (capsule toys) machines. It is literally “filled”, thus you cannot miss it. Also, they usually have a large standing signboard saying “Cure Maid” right by the street.

Comment:

Cure Maid Cafe is the very first maid cafe in Japan. It originally evolved from Pia Carrot Restaurant, which was the cosplay cafe featuring waitresses dressed in the costumes from the famous dating simulation game series called “PiaCarrot-e Youkoso!! (Welcome to PiaCarrot)”. The game was about love romance in the family restaurant called Pia Carrot, where all waitresses were dressed in cute costumes. This cafe was open for the limited time only, when Japanese schools were in their vacation. It seems it opened three times before turning into Cure Maid Cafe, and once for PiaCarrot-e Youkoso!! 3 afterward. I think I’ve been to the original ones once or twice.

Pia Carrot Restaurant turned into Cafe de COSPA in year 2000. It was permanent cosplay cafe, where waitresses dressed in various costumes. I have been to this cafe once, but I did not like it for two reasons. The first reason was lack of unified theme: girls were dressed in random costumes, which appeared rather unsophisticated for me. The second reason was a type of regular customers. They were mostly camera-kozou (otaku who is dedicated to take pictures of girls like cosplayers and race queens), who was there forever and taking pictures. I felt uneasy being there due to them. Cafe de COSPA closed in 2001, and it turned into Cure Maid Cafe.

Cure Maid Cafe is one of the most professional maid cafes in my opinion. It may be a reaction to its experience back when it was Cafe de COSPA. All waitresses are dressed in a classic English maid costume, and their service is wonderful. The interior is very roomy, and there is no excessive “otaku” decorations like some other maid cafes. Photo shooting is prohibited, and you may not stay over a certain period time when it is crowded. Also, price of foods and drinks are reasonable, including liquors which only cost 500yen per glass. As name indicates, you can relax and “cure” your heart and soul here.

Although, if you expect very “otaku” maid cafe where maids play game with you and act anime-ish, this may not be the place to go. Beside the fact that the waitresses are dressed in the maid costumes, this place is just like a regular cafe.

If you are a tourist, you definitely should go here since it is the very first maid cafe. If you are Akihabara professional, I recommend you to use here as a resting area.

Why did I Start this Web Site Anyways?

The direct cause was the tourists from U.S. whom I met in the maid bar called “Merry Heart” in my first “expedition” in Akihabara after I graduated from the university in U.S. They told me how they could not find a good source of information in regard to the maid cafe on the Internet, thus they had a trouble locating other maid cafes in Akihabara. Also, the maid at the bar brought up to my attentions that some of Japanese web sites list maid cafe along with adult entertainments, which may mislead tourists to undesired places and get them into trouble.

I do not plan to make this web site into an ultimate guide for maid cafes in Japan, but I hope it will give enough information to help non-Japanese-speaking people to enjoy the maid cafes, and get people away from troubles. If you have any questions, I plan to add BBS to this web site, so feel free to post them there.

My History with Maid Cafe

My first encounter with “maid” was back in a high school, which was almost 7 years ago. It was a few years before the first maid cafe emerged in Akihabara. When I attended online chat for a dating simulation game, one of the members, whom I now respect as a ‘master’, told me how people were into “maid” and “family restaurants’ waitress” back then. I guess this encounter was a destiny. For some reason, I got very interested in those two categories. In a few hours, my computer was filled with CGs of characters in maid & waitress costumes.

Since I got so interested in waitresses, the master took me to the PiaCarrot Cafe. Since 90’s, there is a series of dating simulation games called “PiaCarrot e youkoso! (Welcome to PiaCarrot!)”. In these games, the player becomes a part-time worker for the family restaurant called PiaCarrot, and falls in love with its waitress. Cospa, the company who sells cosplay costumes and character goods, borrowed a dual space of Gamers, and turned it into a cafe with waitresses dressed in PiaCarrot costumes. It was open for a limited time only when the Japanese schools were in their summer break. I went to PiaCarrot 2 cafe, which turned out to be my first cosplay cafe experience. I remember how I had a hard time getting used to its atmosphere. I felt very shy to even place an order, not to mention when I asked them if I could take their pictures. At the same time, I was fascinated by the cafe, and I believe I ended up going there twice. Unfortunately, I could not visit PiaCarrot 3 cafe which opened a summer after due to a busy schedule.

Apparently, they were both popular enough, that they turned it into a permanent cosplay cafe. However, it was soon proven to be a mistake. I went to this cosplay cafe once, but it was terrible. The girls were dressed in various costumes without a unified concept or theme, that it appeared rather random and cheap. Also, many camera-kozo (otaku guys who are dedicated to take pictures of girls) stayed there forever without ordering much, which drove off other customers and probably did not leave much money to the cafe. Indeed, the cafe was soon closed down.

Despite the mistake, they did not give up. They reopened a new cafe called “Cure Maid Cafe”, the very first maid cafe in Japan. This time, they did not allow anyone to shoot photos inside the cafe. Also, customers were not allowed to stay beyond certain period of time when the cafe was clouded. They took some time for a sophisticated interior, and all waitresses were well trained and professional. I have been to this place several times since high school, but I think this is still one of the most professional maid cafe in Japan. Indeed, these efforts seemed to have paid off, that it still remains as a famous maid cafe in Akihabara.

After I graduated from the high school, I left Japan to study in the university in U.S. During these five years, a number of maid cafe increased rapidly. There was only Cure Maid Cafe when I left, but I think there is twenty or more maid cafes in Akihabara alone, not to mention a lot more spread all over Japan. I was visiting some of them whenever I came home to Tokyo, but I definitely could not cover all of them during such a short visit.

I felt ashamed for not knowing most of these maid cafes despite the fact I am maid-loving otaku. That is why I decided to assemble a team (usually my friend and I) to visit many of them after I graduated from the university and came back to Tokyo. By now, I think I covered more than a half of maid cafes in Akihabara, and others in Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and other parts of Japan.

So, I think now you know how I’ve seen the birth of the first maid cafe, but how I was left behind during a period when the number of maid cafe increased. I am nothing compared to some of other hard core maid cafe fans, but I hope I am good enough to report about them to non-Japanese speaking populations in the world. Please remember that reports that I will post on this web site will be my personal opinions, and not “a word of the god”. ;-p Anyways, I will explain the reason why I started this web site on my next post!

Hello World!!

Hello all. My name is "Future". Japanese "otaku" guy who used to study in Japan.
This blog will be dedicated to send out the hottest(?) & latest(?) information about Maid Cafe in Tokyo, Japan to non-Japanese speaking people in the world. Please utilize this site to find out more about this hottest moe-moe culture in Japan!
Any comments & suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to post them. No spam is allowed, though :-p