(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
Editor’s Note: Hannah Tagan is a freshman at Kinnick High School on Yokosuka Naval Base. She’s an aspiring writer who enjoys exploring Japan and sharing her stories with others. If you or someone you know would like to contribute your story to Stripes Japan, let us know at japan@stripes.com!
I have heard parents ask the question: “Are Japan’s maid cafés appropriate for kids?” The answer to this is yes! Maidreamin, a popular chain, is very family-friendly and welcoming to all ages, while still being adorable and serving delicious food. I know this because I am a 14-year-old military child who recently visited the Shinjuku East Exit Store location with my 11-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother. It’s a uniquely fun experience for the whole family, the kind you can only find in Japan!
Maid cafés consist of waitresses wearing cute maid costumes serving themed foods and performing choreographed dances. The waitresses interact with the audience, take photos and maintain a fun ambiance for café guests.
To enter, customers pay a cover charge of 880 yen for adults, 550 yen for junior high and high school students, or 300 yen for elementary-aged children in addition to a one-drink or food order. The fee includes a 90-minute time limit to enjoy the café but can be extended for an additional charge. For elementary school students and younger, the cover charge also comes with a free bowl of ice cream for dessert!
During our visit we enjoyed the Melon Soda Float, which is green melon soda topped with delicious vanilla ice cream, sweet icing and crunchy star-shaped sprinkles. The menu also has some crowd-pleasers like French fries and savory Japanese staples like curry, hamburger steak, and omurice, which is rice topped with a fluffy egg omelet and drizzled with ketchup. At Maidreamin, the waitress will dress up your omurice with a custom ketchup design at your table. Even though the maids are more experienced with drawing cute animal faces like cats and bunnies, you can ask for anything you want (within reason)! I recommend being creative. During our visit, we asked for “Sorry” omurice from the popular anime “Spy x Family,” and the maids were delighted that we knew the anime and more than happy to draw our design!
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
In addition to ordering food and drinks, customers can also order a fun dance performance using the QR code menu. The menu also has English translations. Soon after you order, a maid will arrive at your table to ask what song you want and which maid you want to perform it. You can pick any maid working that day. If you are unsure of which song to pick, I recommend “Dreamin’ Passport,” which is one of the Maidreamin official theme songs, which you can also find on YouTube if you’d like to preview it ahead of time (you can find many of their songs on the Maidreamin official YouTube page). In addition, you can add a “cheering” maid who stands to the side with batons, waving them faster than anything you’ve ever seen and encouraging the other maid during the performance. You can also cheer too by purchasing a glowing baton stick from the menu.
Other official Maidreamin merch includes animal ears, instant photos which you can take with your favorite maid, and even your very own maid costumes. My little sister got one and wore hers for Halloween last year.
Every time we visit Maidreamin, we always have a lot of fun! If you are into Japan’s kawaii culture and want to experience not only delicious food, but also live dance performances, adorable ambiance and a completely family-friendly location, then Maidreamin is the place for you!
Maidreamin has many locations in Tokyo and other branches in Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.
Things to know
Maidreamin’ Shinjuku East Exit Store
Address: 3-22-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily.
(Photo by Hannah Tagan)
