The Japanese phenomenon of maid cafés has made its way to north England, the Manchester Evening News reported on 3 December.
The first maid café event in Manchester was hosted by the Newcastle-based Meian Maids, a group established last year by student of Japanese Sally Blake. According to Blake, the majority of the group’s customers are female, unlike in Japan where the clientele is predominantly male.
Maid cafés emerged in Tokyo in the early 21st century. They typically see waitresses serving customers while performing dances, playing games and drawing pictures, behaviour that in Japan is generally described as “cute”, or kawaii.