Visiting maid cafe with kids

I was thinking of experiencing the maid cafe culture in Akihabara, perhaps the @Home Cafe.

But a bit concerned if it will be weird if I have two kids along? Is that even allowed?

Would @home be a good choice for a first timer?

You can take your kids. How old are they? If they are too young, it might be boring to them, though and waste of money on your part...

They are 9 and 11. I think it should be rather interesting for them. I just hope it wouldn't be too weird with kids around :)

There aren't any rules against bringing children. The maids aren't inappropriate. (There are rules for a cafe in general though.) However, the customers are interesting...

That said, it'd be a good idea to go by yourself once and check it out. Get a feel for the place. If you feel uncomfortable there, then your kids won't feel good either. It's also kind of expensive. The expensive food items all go towards the maids' performance.
So sit down and experience it. Then see if you think it's appropriate for your kids.

do you and your kids speak japanese ?

if no, what do you hope to achieve by going to a maid cafe ?

I've been to a maid cafe and Japanese is not really required to have a good time, but it does help. Also, some cafe's have english speaking maids which helps some, although a lot of the experience does get lost in translation.

By the way, I thought it was entirely a kid friendly experience not much different from a tea party I might have with my young nieces. In fact, I would be more worried that the kids (especially if they are boys) wouldn't get into it as it might seem too childish to them or a type of girls play.

are you serious ??
this is tokyo... i would be AMAZED if any of the maids can speak some english... like HIGHLY amazed (this comming from a half japanese guy)

Totally serious. The Akihabara information desk at crossfield recommended some maid cafes for foreigners to visit, and specifically mentioned that the original @home cafe near Superpotato has English speaking maids. We checked it out while in the area and while the maid we had didn't speak perfect English, it was enough to get the point across and enjoy the experience.

After all, this is Tokyo and it was only a matter of time before they capitalized on the english maid market. Btw, I also hear that there are butler cafes popping up in Ikebukuro that have English speaking butlers, but I haven't had a chance to check that out yet.

Why it's amazing if a maid spoke English? I don't get it.

Many young people in Tokyo speak English, including those who work at a maid cafe.

I have been 2 times. Both times when friends visited me and requested to see "weird japan stuff"
Well there is no better place for that.
The atmosphere is not like anything you can compare it too in the west.
even more interesting than the maids are the punters, I find myself glancing round the room trying to work out what motivates people to come here.
I saw a mother and daughter the first time I went so maybe it is OK for kids. Then there's obviously a lot of geeky types that cant get much female attention or friendly chat without paying for it.
In that way I thought. Japan is the best place if you are a geek, nowhere else has that kind of micro niche market society that can cater for every kind of crazy.
One poster I saw had a photo of all the maids with a big chubby girl wearing a pigs snout and piggy ears together with the full french maids outfit.

i think i went to 2 different maid cafes when i visited tokyo...weird enviornment, but relaxing in its own ways....i didnt speak any japanese, just knew a few words...it was super boring for me...wouldnt visit another one until im fluent in japanese, which will be never....i wouldnt take kids there either...the maids spoke very very LITTLE english...i'd rather take the kids to club sega or the video game amusment park in Odaiba...way more fun!!

One so wish that people would know that :
1-maid don't work in cafes or restaurants but in private homes.
2-they, even the young ones, wear demure black clothes, in France as in other countries. A white apron may be worn over the black uniform when serving a meal or a snack.

Maids do their utmost to do their job as silently and discreetely as possible, as if they were a ghost (or, with their black clothing, a ninja?)

Waitresses, NOT maids, work in cafes and restaurants..I just came back from a trip to France and all the waitresses I saw wore, just like the male waiters, very plain black uniforms.

The only staff I saw that were showing off some skin were the male waiters in one brasserie, wearing black kilts and T shirts.

Butlers, incidentally, shouldn' t be confused with waiters (they work in cafes and restaurants) or male servants (they work in private homes).
A butler is the man in charge of the household staff (cooks, maids, valets, chauffeurs, gardeners etc.) in the home of a wealthy family.

The butler may serve food to the family but only during informal meals. If there are guests other staff will serve the food and the butler will supervise them.

And yes I have known quite a few European families that had several full time household staff in each one of their homes.

@Monkeysee

I'm not saying that you're wrong about that but I guess you missed the whole point about Japanese Maid Cafe's, which is not about historical accuracy but rather about having fun and seeing cute girls.

J-guy (guest)
I had rather be served by a guy, even an ugly one anyway.. by the way, have you ever heard about irony and tongue in cheek???

@monkeysee

I think you've missed the point both on maid cafes and (ironically) your comment on irony.

Irony or tongue in cheek imply at least some sort of repartee, something that your matter of fact lecture on maids is lacking. If your post was intended to invoke a sense of irony then perhaps its best if you stick to a serious tone so you aren't misunderstood again.