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 In the
streets of Shibuya alone you can see many young people dressed up in 17th
century dress or as their favourite anime/cartoon characters, or even their
favourite puppet. At popular variety shops like Don Quixote you can buy
complete cosplay costumes for about $100. Maid cafes are merely an extention
of the fascination for a fantasy life.
I chose the maid cafe that also included some entertainment and dragged another Australian along for the ride. It was called Maid in Japan and it is the only Amusement Maid Cafe offering shows. We were met in the basement cafe by 5 girls aged 16 to 18 all dressed in maid gear with the added cutesiness of pink ears adorning their hair and a pink tail hanging curled from their behind. They completed the cutesy affectation by acting like little puppies, smiling all the time and putting their fingers to their cheeks whenever asked a question or replying. The advertisement for this place was on an English tourist guide map so there were a few foreigners in the cafe. We ordered coffee and sat at a two seater table. Near us was a small stage and, from the advertisement, we knew a random act may appear soon. We weren't disappointed! One of the girls picked up a microphone and mimed to a Japanese song all the while using hand gestures as she danced, accentuating her lithe form. She was quickly followed by another of the girls who bounced around the stage miming two songs. We found out that for 500 yen we could request any of the girls to give a show. We didn't, of course, and we could tell the girls had been practicing their cutesiness to be able to perform more shows on the stage. (They probably got a commission) My friend said that he'd heard that some of the maid cafes offered massages. In one barbecue restaurant maid cafe I'd heard of, the maids actually feed you! So, depending on the maid cafe that you go to, you may be in for an interesting experience! |
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