We “went home” to “at-home cafe,” a classic maid café in Akihabara!
Immerse yourself in Japan’s “moe” culture at one of the maid cafés that have become an essential part of Akihabara today.
Are you interested in visiting maid cafés in Japan? In this article, we went to a highly-recommended maid café, at-home café, for you so that you can learn what it is like and replenish your moe energy just by reading this article.
As soon as you “come back to your mansion” (a.k.a. entering the café), which has a cute pink interior, a maid (server) greets you, saying, “Okaerinasaimase, goshujinsama (or ojousama)” (meaning “welcome back, master (or princess)”). When I sat down at a table, I received a “License of Your Majesty (Master/Princess)” in a letter from the Master & Princess Association. The licence will be upgraded from a bronze card all the way up to a super black card based on the number of times you “come back home (visit the café).” The higher your rank gets, the wider variety of services you can enjoy, such as upgrading of drawing on an instant photo and ordering of “makanai” dishes. Also, on the back of the card, you can write down a name that you want the maids to call you by. A popular way of creating a cute moe name is to add animal onomatopoeia, such as “pyon” or “nyan,” to your name. If you can’t decide, ask your maid to come up with one.
The next thing is the food. This time, I ordered a full-course meal, including a main dish, dessert, a drink, and an instant photo session with a maid, plus an additional drink. The drink menu has a wide variety of drinks such as ones that a maid makes by shaking it in front of you, as well as ones on which a maid draws your portrait or an animal you like.
The names of the drinks, such as “Furifuri Shakashaka♪Mixed Juchu” and “Makkuro Shuwashuwa,” also sound very moe.
The main dish is a classic omurice. Your maid will draw a cute picture and the word “萌え” (“moe” written in Japanese) on the omurice with ketchup. For dessert, I ordered “Obocchama Sundae.” They also have “Ojouchama Sundae,” so try that if you are a “princess.”
[Top] Piyopiyo♪Hiyoko-san Rice ¥1,100 [Bottom] Obocchama Sundae ¥850
You will probably get the urge to take a bite right away after having the picture drawn on it right in front of your eyes, but don’t forget to do “aikome” before starting to eat or drink. “Aikome” is an abbreviation of “ai wo komeru,” which means to infuse with love. The standard way is to say “moe moe kyun!” while making a heart shape with your hands. Try to put all your love into your food and drinks so that they will taste even better.
The final course is an instant photo session with a maid! Strike your cutest pose with your favorite maid. After taking a photo, the maid will draw a heart, the date, her name, etc. on the photo and bring it to your table.
Carry the photo with you so that you can replenish your moe energy anywhere, anytime.
The length of stay is basically limited to one hour, and one hour flies by because the food is good and the conversation with the maids is so enjoyable. When you leave, the maids will see you off, saying, “Itterasshaimase, Goshujinsama (or Ojousama)” (“itterasshaimase” is a phrase which has various meanings such as “have a good one,” “take care,” “see you later,” “safe travels,” and so on). There is also a retail space outside the dining area, so make sure to check out their merchandise if there is a certain maid that you would like to root for! The experience at at-home cafe is truly entertaining from beginning to end. It is highly recommended that you go there to replenish your moe energy when you come to Japan.
■DATA at-home cafe at AKIBA Cultures Zone Address: 5F AKIBA Cultures Zone, 1-7-6 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021 Open hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. on weekdays 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Sat., Sun., and holidays Official website:https://www.cafe-athome.com/ Official Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/athome__cafe/ ★The maids who served me this time ・Fujiko-san ・Morumo-san ・Kohi-san (Information as of May 2024)
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