“Maid cafes in Japan are a little bit more focused on the maids serving you or getting pictures and stuff like that. What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to make it a more social kind of ...

After being curious about maid cafes for so many years, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the actual experience. It may have felt a bit awkward at times, and I’m not in any particular rush ...

I replied that even though many Americans might share this Japanese interest for video games and cartoon and comic book characters, I could never imagine something like a maid café in the U.S.

Japanese maid costumed waitress Hinaka serves coffee to a customer at a maid cafe in Tokyo's electronic district Akihabara Jan. 20. Toru Hanai / Reuters ...

Maid Cafes are a dime a dozen in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, but there are not many based off famous Sanrio character. Sanrio is a Japanese company that designs all things kawaii (cute), best ...

Now there are more than 200 maid cafes in the Japanese capital, and they're considered part of Tokyo's culture and tourism trade. Each Maid Café has its unique appeal or gimmick.

In Japan, both men and women visit maid cafes, and the whole thing is supposed to be adorably sweet — like many of the menu items.

But there are some aspects of your café that are different from typical Japanese maid cafes. In Japan, the maids chant spells over drinks, draw cute things on omelets, and play games.

Maid costumes are especially popular in Japan due to the abundance of maid cafes and cosplay events there, so it's no surprise that the style found its way into anime and video games.

In which case, maid cafes might be rooted in sexuality, but mainstream application -- especially outside of Japan -- is altogether different. The fantasy is often second fiddle.