Documenting my experience at a Japanese maid cafe
Stranded in a nameless maze of gaudy billboard signs and takoyaki street vendors was I, standing in awe, anesthetized from underestimating the sheer brilliance of Tokyo’s Akihabara. However, within all the madness, a dainty hand with a flyer within its grasp caught my eye. Instead of killing the cat, curiosity led me into a terrain locked away from the bustling otaku capital into Japan’s hidden feline treasure—a maid cafe.
Around the corner from the local Family Mart and tourist-friendly Gachapon Hall laid Akiba Zettai, a rather small cafe where instead of waitresses, the cafe is staffed with maids wearing cat ears. The magic begins once you are seated at a table. A maid handed me a menu and a set of cat ears to wear in order to have the full experience of this fantasy setting where they turn you into cats. The backstory is that the cats were transformed into humans to compensate for their kindness into the human world.
A maid politely explained the rules of the cafe, which are as follows:
- Touching and taking photos of the maids are strictly prohibited; however, selfies and pictures of the food and decor are permitted.
- The minimum order is 1 drink. The rest of the menu is optional and combos are included for extra goodies such as photo cards and a polaroid photo with a maid.
When I first entered the cafe, I was greeted by the kind staff, who only knew the fundamentals of basic English; however, she used an English manuscript that they use for foreigner patrons. Despite the language barrier, none of the maids were intimidated by my English accent and weren’t reluctant to stop by my table and say a simple greeting. Those who weren’t confident in their English pronunciation comfortably used Google translate.
In order to request a maid, you had to say “nyan,” the Japanese equivalent to meow. After they plated my order, I was made to chant the magic words “moe moe magic” in order to make my order delicious. The combo includes a polaroid photo with one of the maids, which I ordered along with a fuzzy strawberry soda that came with a maid cutout to pose with in selfies and a slice of cake or omurice for ¥3500. If you order the omurice, a maid will draw anything you request with ketchup on your omelet rice for no extra charge.
Additionally, you can pay an extra ¥1500 for a performance, where a maid sings and dances to any JPOP song on a tiny dance platform located in the center of the cafe. The minimalist layout allowed a more optimal and personal level of interaction between the staff and customers, instead of giving off a mass-produced feel to optimize larger amounts of patrons. The atmosphere felt like an alternate universe due to the attention to detail, which made the visit feel more raw and authentic rather than a scripted performance. The maids would paw at things and cover their heads in humiliation when their “ears” would fall off.
I highly recommend going to a maid cafe for the eccentric experience. It was truly an unforgettable moment that no other cafe could replicate; after all, the “moe moe magic” is one of a kind.