Even in temples, maids strike wooden fish... Why Japan became a Meido Cafe sanctuary [Nichiyobi Nichi Culture]

Started at a Hof Bar and Dating Simulation Game... Opinions Differ on Origin
Thrived Around Akihabara... Criticism of Pseudo-Romance

Recently, news about maids being introduced at a Japanese temple caused quite a stir both inside and outside Japan. The news even reached our country, where many reacted with shock, asking, "What on earth is this?"

So how exactly did maid cafes come about? Why has Japan become the mecca of maid cafes? Today, we will explore their history.

Performance scene of Terra Parmus. (Photo by Terra Parmus YouTube channel)

Promotional photo of the Japanese franchise maid cafe 'Maidreamin'. (Photo source = Maidreamin official website)

There seem to be two main theories about the origin of maid cafes. The first is that they started in pubs. It is said that the prototype of the famous Japanese-style pub Ginza Lion, called 'Cafe Lion,' had female staff dressed in maid outfits serving customers, which was the beginning.

The second theory is that maid cafes originated from a 1997 dating simulation game. Quoting a column by a researcher in charge of Tokyo Akihabara, known as the otaku mecca, at the Nissei Basic Research Institute: as part of the promotion for the release of the second installment of the adult dating simulation game 'Welcome to Pia Carrot,' the game company introduced a restaurant recreating the game at the 1998 Tokyo Character Show. At this place, women cosplaying as characters from the game sold drinks and goods, receiving enthusiastic responses from fans. All the characters appearing in this game wore maid outfits.

As this gained great popularity among game fans, in 1999 the game company opened a limited-time maid cafe inside their own store. This also became a hit, and in 2000, at the same location, they opened a maid concept cafe officially named 'Cafe de Cospa.' This is said to be the original maid cafe.

From then on, the style of cafes where staff dressed in maid outfits served customers became a hallmark of Akihabara. Since the area was already famous for cosplay, maid cafes began to expand infinitely into forms like karaoke and casinos.

'Welcome to Pia Carrot' image. (Photo by Amazon)

The Nissei Research Institute column also analyzed why maid cafes became popular. It was due to the 'moe culture' that was trendy in the early 2000s. Many in our country may have heard the phrase "Moe moe kyun," which originates from the Japanese verb 'moeru (萌える),' meaning to sprout or bud. It refers to the inexplicable strong affection or desire felt toward characters appearing in animations or games. For example, the 'tsundere' type, who usually acts cold but occasionally shows a kind moment, falls into this category. In reality, if you met such a person at work or elsewhere, you might think, "Wow, what a bad personality," but somehow this stirs unknown emotions inside you, which becomes the reason for affection.

The column's author analyzed that maid cafes are symbolic of moe culture. The moment a customer enters the cafe, they become the master, and the staff dressed in maid outfits become servants, establishing a master-servant relationship the moment they enter. The maids also use phrases like "Welcome home, Master" when serving, fully immersing the individual, who was an ordinary person before entering, into this relationship. Inside the cafe, customers also use the master's speech style, such as informal language, so the cafe transforms into a space where a kind of role-playing occurs that cannot be seen in everyday life.

The column concluded, "Many otaku seek this extraordinary experience and go to cafes where maids await them. Moe is generated not only by visual stimuli but also through experience." This is also the point where moe culture and maid cafes, regarded as its symbol, receive criticism. Although it is wrapped as affection toward the other person, it is ultimately nothing more than pseudo-romance or fetishism. The column also added, "This role-play happens with customers paying money, which is why maid cafes are criticized as a form of pseudo-romance." In fact, as maid culture became popular, entertainment establishments styled like maid cafes also proliferated in the underground scene, making criticism unavoidable.

Photo by Irastora.

As of 2022, there are said to be over 200 concept cafes, including maid cafes, in Akihabara alone. Unique concepts such as butler cafes have also increased.

Ah, and regarding the recently reported 'Buddhist maids' in our country, I looked into it again. It turns out to be a Buddhist idol group called 'Tera Palms.' All members are either art university students or graduates, and during performances named after bodhisattvas like Kannon or Maitreya, the audience responds by tapping wooden fish (mokugyo).

I initially thought it was just a temple marketing strategy, but it is actually a group formed by university students deeply interested in Buddhism. The leader is an art student who became interested in Buddhism, started drawing various illustrations inspired by Buddhist paintings (tangkas), and later entered graduate school in philosophy to explore the relationship between religion and art. Since 2016, they have held talk events themed on interfaith dialogue with the head monk, adopting the maid cafe format at those events.

This led to the image of 'the temple's exclusive maids.' As this gained popularity, they formed a group. The name 'Tera Palms' combines the Japanese word for temple, 'Tera (寺),' and the English word 'Palms,' meaning clasped hands. It might feel somewhat similar to NewJeans-nim in our context. The costumes worn during performances are self-designed, mixing Buddhist robes and maid outfits.

Anyway, through this research, I realized that maid cafes are more deeply ingrained in Japanese culture than I had thought. They used to be a subculture of some otaku, but now they seem almost like a tourist attraction.