BEST MAID CAFE IN TOKYO, JAPAN: AKIHABARA ANGEL & DEMONS. JAPANESE SUBCULTURES, OTAKU ANIME MANGA BAR.
When you’re shooting a travel TV show, you work long hours and run around to several locations a day. Naomi took a few quick snaps of me in front of Shinjuku Temple on our way to meet the Norwegian crew. I’m wearing a flower headband gifted from MyVelcroe.
We brought them to Cafe Pray, an Angel and Demons themed maid cafe in Akihabara. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll recall that we also took the Dutch Pepsi crew to this maid cafe/bar. Why go back?
Because the orange-haired owner is fabulous, and created this spooky paper ghost with his bare hands!
I showed Ari and Per how to order drinks. First, you call over a cute maid, dressed either as an angel or demon. She tells you her seraphic name and stirs up her signature cocktail. Finally, she’ll serve it with a cute pose and a “nyan nyan.”
I explained to Ari and Per that contrary to popular belief, maid cafes aren’t creepy. Everyone’s here for harmless fun and roleplay.
I walked the TV crew through maid cafe culture. Such as taking Polaroid photos and decorating them with cute designs.
The nails, the angel-kitty-cigarette statue… words fail me.
Unlike most maid cafes, customers are allowed to take photos of the maids inside Cafe Bar Pray.
The maids are delightful, and will play games with you.
I have more photos of the cute Japanese girls in this post. My blog is a behemoth, so if you’re looking for something, try using my Google search box (on the top right sidebar).
Do you think maid cafes are frequently misunderstood, due to the master/servant fantasy play? Would you feel comfortable in an environment like this?
PS: My latest Global Gothic column for Lip Service is published. I interview Lady Aphasia about Milan’s Goth scene. Can’t wait to check out Italy’s darkest haunts.
Song of the Day: Baiser – Angel (An angelic, Visual Kei kiss.)
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JAPAN FUNDRAISING DIARY: LOS ANGELES CHARITIES, SENDAI EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI RELIEF. RESOURCES, WAYS TO HELP.
Los Angeles Adventure Time! Here’s a fun photo diary of my fundraising days with Sebastiano Serafini, who flew into LA from Tokyo after the earthquake.
We brought our Japan flag and donation box everywhere, to drum up aid for the survivors. Even my red and white dress, gifted from Bettie Page Clothing, lent visual support. Believe it or not, my outfit got more attention than Sebastiano at our favorite gay club (The Abbey in West Hollywood)!
The bouncers always interrogate Seba, since he doesn’t look close to legal age. (One was convinced he’s 14 years old!) He especially looks like a little boy in big shoes, a Kamen Rider t-shirt and La Carmina hoodie.
Above is the other La Carmina hoodie, featuring my fat Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow.
Our fellow red-heads, Heathyr and Patrice, care deeply about Japan relief. It’s great to have friends like them.
While in LA, we also had time for fun (recall our dance party at Best Buy). Can you guess which stuffed toy belongs to Seba?
The correct answer is… the cute stuffed puppy! Also pictured: a panda bear necklace gifted from Soho Hearts.
How would you caption this image? First Mate Naomi suggests: “Because every day is going to be today. And today, you need a wig.”
As for this one: “It was a tearful goodbye when Sebastiano left home for the first time, but his family knew they’d still see him on holidays and at special events.”
La Carmina and Seba are the “Eloises” of the Orlando Hotel in West Hollywood. If you stay here (and we recommend that you do), ask the staff about us. They’ll fall over laughing.
Seba’s shark backpack chomps on my toes.
My skull tights are gifted from Artisan Socks.
The news coverage about Japan has died down, but tens of thousands remain missing or homeless. Please keep on supporting the Japanese recovery, through donations, fundraisers, or plain getting the word out. Naomi’s Help Japan Wiki is a fantastic compilation of charities and events.
If you have questions about anything in these photos (outfits, locations) — or anything at all — do leave me a comment. I’ll reply.
PS: Thank you to Tokyo Catwalk for interviewing me about my work in Japanese street fashion.
PPS: It’s blog sharing day! Come share your site’s URL on my Facebook Page. I promise to visit — and I’m doing my best to comment on each one.
Song of the Day: Dir en Grey – Uroboros (you can stream the entire album for free!)
LA CARMINA
