maid in Tokyo

The ryokan visit was the most awesome experience, especially after a rigorous schedule for the past 17 days! I felt like I really had a chance to relax and really get to know my group members. We boarded the bus early to return to Tokyo, but not after a little shopping and shrine visiting...which seems to be the theme for the trip! We arrived in Tokyo at 11:30 and luckily our luggage and rooms were all ready for us. The Japanese really know about customer service...we were assigned the same rooms we had the last time we were in Tokyo, so it felt like coming home in a sense. When I opened the door to my room, the maid had left me a note along with my camera's battery charger I had searched for high and low....I was so excited that I wouldn't have to spend all afternoon at electronics stores trying to find a Sony battery charger that seemed to be easy enough, but wasn't. Speaking of maids, Lori met me at the hotel (her wonderful boss let her off for the day so we could venture out one last time) and we did some last minute shopping and then went to Akihabara which is the electronics & technology district. While there, we visited a "maid cafe" which is becoming a popular industry in Japan, especially in Akihabara, where many "game geeks" hang out. Read this article for more--it's crazy!!! http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/maidcafe.htm

We walked in, a little nervous about what to expect (it's usually only guys who go to these places but we wanted to see for ourselves and thought that our "foreign-ness" would forgive any faux pas). We sat down and our maid washed our hands with a warm towel and then introduced herself as "I'm bunny" as she had bunny ears on and of course a maid costume. $5000 yen later, we had eaten cheesecake, played Crocodile Dentist with "I'm bunny" (I got to wear bunny ears because I lost) and even had a Polaroid picture taken with her as a souvenir. The people (all guys) in the cafe were engaged in a lively discussion with the maid-suited girls behind the counter, who seemed genuinely, deeply interested in them. These guys come in and basically pay for companionship. Through absolutely no effort on their part, they can be assured that a pretty woman will focus her attention exclusively on them for as long as they keep paying money. During the trip, we had heard more and more how teenagers are becoming socially inept due to rigorous studying and video game playing, among others and it seems that a maid cafe provides them with a little human interaction...but it still seems strange to me! It was a true Japanese experience!!