"Hi, I'm Chris Peppler, and if I try to speak any deeper, my espophagus is going to herniate and explode."

I had the alligator game when I was a kid, only you pulled out the teeth with a pair of pliers and it ran/drove off when you lost.

Wow, I feel incredibly bad for these girls. There is a reason only the rich assholes have "maids"...you don't get rich by being a shining beacon for humanitarianism!

Japanese female objectification FTL!

Wow, only a girl who likes alien space frogs would volenteer to give otaku foot massages.

Brian should interview some game developer in a tsundere cafe.

One of my female Japanese friends took me to Maid in Japan. Felt pretty self conscious about it, but there was a girl with me, so...

And it was really a giant let down. It felt way too... generic and plain. The decor of the place was 1980's cafeteria with some Victorian wall paper. The girls were very nice and cute, but all had identical uniforms, no personal customization at all, no personality (the uniforms, not the girls). The food was not that great, though it was all had something cute added to it.

Most of the people there the night I went were couples, except for the guys paying too much money to use the net stations around the outside edge.

But I don't feel bad for the girls, other than they probably all have better maid costumes in their own closets that they can't wear to work.

Am I the only one that feels a bit... dirty after watching that? All that "this is for you master", "here's your tea master", "I'm here for you master" stuff was creeping me out more than a little bit.

Now I'm really curious about Japan. If i heard right, it was originally just guys going to these cafes. Then some women went as well.

And now "all kinds" of people?

I thought we had already covered both kinds. What's Japan (or at least Akihabara) got that the rest of the world doesn't know about?

That was a little wierd. I hope now actual Otaku saw that or they'll invade Japan for this.
Then again, it really could be culture differences. If someone tried that in America, the news would never stop on how evil it is.

I totaly agree with trachalio thoroughly creeped out.

When he first went into the restaurant he looked like pee-wee herman with long hair. Oh and I know this is an absolute dick thing to say but otaku should be heard or read not seen.

I thought the end was gonna be maid lap dances not foot rubs.

Check out this book nsfw (just a little nipple)

I met Pat Macias (the field reporter) once a few years ago at Comic Con in San Diego through some mutual friends. He seemed like good people and he was there trying to promote Animerica and his book Tokyoscope. It's nice to see that he was able to permanently relocate to Japan.

As for the Maid fetish, this gaijin just doesn't see the appeal. It's nice to be waited on every once in a while, but to make a whole phenomenon out of it is beyond me.

How can you feel bad for these girls? You think it's degrading?
Listen, it's really not that bad. (not that I would have experience) Here in the states some waitresses are harassed by customers. They call them "sweet cakes" or "sugar" or "cutie-buns" and sometimes also physically harass them. There are rules in place so that NONE of that goes on in those cafes making it a much safer environment for the girl.
I mean, I think it's nice to be in a safe environment.

What is this show and how can I watch it on a regular basis?

Japan is just so facisnating. I'd love to learn Japanese and visit one of these days. Truly such a unique and different culture from what I'm use to in America!

MOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEE! did you see that guys... i really put some love in it ; just for you kotaku;

Kotaku Daisuki!

(my japanese is awful)

That was pretty interesting, I had heard about those places before I think but didn't really know anything about them. Kind of bizarre

I bet girls are easily melted with Chris Peppler's deep voice. I'm a straight guy and still find his voice entoxicating :)

Gotta learn that skill.

Wow that is kinda creepy... >_<
That Patrick guy sure was awkward...

HobbaHobba, just for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Your-Voice-Carol-Fleming/dp/06...

We have a lot of massage parlours here in Windsor that I think could benefit from the whole maid theme. Especially the rub n' tug massage parlours. Almost makes me wanna go into buisiness. I wonder if there's a market for that in Canada.

Amazing, just amazing! I really need to visit Japan just to see the madness for myself. I think i'd get epileptic fits from the kawaii overload.

btw... robotube your comment killed me X_X thanks ^_^

How sick and twisted that place is. Japan is filled with horny pimply otakus looking for a thrill. Where can I sign up?

japan = usa

I'm scared to be canada

I don't understand how it's degrading, I personally would find a job like that a lot of fun! Dressing up in a cute maid outfit and being warm and cute to customers. I would love to do that job! Not for the rest of my life or anything, but if I was putting myself through school, why not?

Maybe it's just the cute outfits, but it looks a lot more fun than regular waitressing. And those otaku would probably find it endearing if you accidentally dropped a tray or something. I think that while for an otaku there is a fantasy of being a master of a cute girl, for girls it is a seperate fantasy of being in an age of manners, daintiness and loyalty.

It's odd. But "degrading." Not compared to Hooters it ain't. I imagine that if you're a Tokyo wokring stiff pulling 16 hours in a some cubical farm toiling under the opresive yoke of some nutsack manager a meal at a place like this would be nice.

Nice! It must be rally good for the average Otaku who dreams about this all day.

I have often noted this element of (fun & harmless) fakery and play-acting in Japanese culture. It's not quite to our Western taste... but it will be. I think it comes from the fact that Japan has always been crowded and over-urbanized. More 'natural' recreation isn't available because there hasn't been any wilderness or wide open spaces in Japan since prehistoric times. The crowding and economic stress has also led to a very self-controlled, uptight citizen who can only get some release from his/her stressful life by play-acting a bit. The USA just passed 300 million population. It will probably pass 600 million during the lifetimes of you who read this. Tokyo is showing us how to live in that world.

I don't think the maids are being exploited or anything...Japan seems to have a very firm set of mannerly standards that shields them from harassment.

Patrick was a little creepy and discomfitting, somehow.

The maid cafe phenomenon is an interesting one in Japan. It's mainly centered in Akihabara and there's a reason for this. These places, or at least the cafes, are not for the typical guy.

They are there mainly for guys, otakus, that are too shy to look a girl in the eye. It's a non-threatening environment where their favorite anime girls seem to exist in real life if only for the short time they're there. Some may find the cosplay and the submissiveness as objectifying women but in truth, none of them think that way.

Of course...go to the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku and there, the girls are dressed up as maids for a whole different reason...but that's for another post and another blog.

If interested, here is my take on Maid Cafes after I visited one of the first to open in Akihabara a few months ago: http://www.timarai.com/blog/2006/07/30/mysteries-of-the-ma...

Suprised that there's no parallel Butler phenom.

But, DannoHung, there is!

Yup there are, though currently marketed a little more upscale. Wish my formal Japanese was better, I know way too much about good tea and look great in a tuxedo...

MOOOEEEEEEE!

I am a geek, but this is too much. I haven't lol'd that hard in quite a long time. I can't wait till this trend hits the US, you will have a large group of people who will want to go in, but wouldn't dare for the risk be seen doing it...

The Host Clubs are a WHOLE different entity...and usually frequented after work by hostesses who are dying to spend the cash they just earned working at the "kyabakura" (cabaret club where guys go to spend tons of money to drink and have a good time with cute girls).

Now...if there is actually a true butler cafe for the woman otakus out there, then that's news to me...wonder how business is? (^_^)

I kept waiting for some of the services to be stripping. I was left... errr disappointed.

Japan is the future