Maid Train

Have you ever heard of Tokyo’s “Maid Cafes“?
These cafes, mostly located in the Otaku (geek) paradise of the 秋葉原 (Akihabara) section of Tokyo, are staffed by young women dressed in “French maid” outfits who greet the customers by saying 「お帰りなさいませご主人様」 (“Welcome home, master”).
They also draw cute pictures on the food with ketchup and play games with the customers.

Some people say that Japan’s bar-hostesses and cafe maids are both a kind of modern-day geisha.
Maybe it’s an “only-in Japan phenomenon”, but hostesses, cafe maids, and geisha all have in common that their purpose is to entertain customers (usually male) in certain eating and drinking establishments…but, contrary to a popular belief in Western countries, they have nothing to do with prostitution.

Well, the financially struggling Seibu Train Line that connects 埼玉県 (Saitama Prefecture) to 東京都 (Tokyo) has decided to try and take advantage of the popularity of maid cafes to attract more passengers to use their trains.

Beginning 2010 December 11, they will have a limited number of  「メイド・トレイン」 (“Maid Trains“).

These trains will be staffed by “maids” similar to the ones in maid cafes who will serve food and drinks and they will also make all of the train’s announcements.
Passengers will also have a chance to pay to have their photo taken with the maids (the same service is available at maid cafes).

Personally I have never been to a maid cafe. And I have no plans to ride the “maid train” either.
How about you? Have you ever visited one of Japan’s maid cafes? Or would you like to?
Would you ride the maid train?

Hooters in Japan

Do you know the Hooters American restaurant chain?

They are restaurants well-known for spicy “Buffalo-Wing” style chicken and beer served by pretty young waitresses dressed in tight T-shirts and short shorts.

They also have televisions showing sporting events such as football or baseball games.

Sports on TV, Buffalo Wings, beer and sexy waitresses. It’s not difficult to see why this chain is popular…at least with men.

Actually the original Hooters restaurant opened in the early ’80s in Clearwater, Florida, USA…in the neighborhood where I grew up.

Well, after years of negotiations, Japan’s first Hooters restaurant will open tomorrow (2010 October 25) in Tokyo, Japan.

Hooters, Tokyo will be located in the upscale Tokyo neighborhood of 赤坂 (Akasaka).
The address, if you want to go there, is: 東京都千代田区永田町2-14-3 赤坂東急プラザ2F (2nd Floor of the “Akasaka Tokyu Plaza” in 2-14-3 Nagatacho).

The “Akasaka Tokyu Plaza” is full of luxurious stores and restaurants. Not the type of place where you’d normally find a Hooters restaurant!
I feel more comfortable in downtown “blue-collar” neighborhoods and stores. That’s the type of place Hooters is. They serve spicy chicken wings and beer. And the staff are dressed in tight T-shirts and shorts.
The restaurants in places like the “Akasaka Tokyu Plaza” are the types of places that you find in the “Michelin Guide”.

The girls in the front row of this photo are "Hooters Girls" from various Hooters in America who came to Tokyo to train the staff of Hooters Tokyo (who are all the girls behind the front row).

I heard that beginning next year, if this first Hooters in Japan proves popular, they plan to open more restaurants in other high-end areas of Tokyo such as 銀座 (Ginza).

There are many American chain restaurants in Tokyo such as Hard Rock Cafe, Outback and T.G.I. Fridays, so I always thought that they should open Hooters here…but I would’ve thought they’d choose an area in Tokyo such as 新宿 (Shinjuku) or 池袋 (Ikebukuro).

Anyways, I won’t be eating at Hooters in Japan for the same reason I don’t eat at Hard Rock Cafe, Outback or T.G.I. Fridays…the food isn’t so great and the prices are too high.

Besides, my wife makes better “Buffalo Wings” chicken than I’ve ever had at any Hooters before! 🙂

How about you? Do you like “Buffalo Wings”? Do you eat at “Hooters”? Would you visit the “Hooters” here in Tokyo?

Japan in the Guinness Book of World Records

Have you ever looked through the Guinness Book of World Records?

Some of the records in there are amazing. Like the “World’s Fastest Professional Boxing Knockout” which was dealt by Mike Collins to Pat Brownson with the first punch in their match in November 1947. The fight was over four seconds after it started.

And some of the records are odd. Such as that currently held by an American woman named Lee Redmond…”World’s Longest Fingernails”. She hasn’t cut her nails since 1979 and now they’re about 90 cm (3 feet) long!

I was just watching a TV program tonight about some of the unusual records in the Guinness Book and it made me wonder what types of records are held by Japanese people.

So I checked the Official Guinness World Records website.

It seems that there are many records currently held by Japanese people.

For example:

– Megumi Suzuki of Saitama, Japan has held the record of the “Most Jump-Rope Skips in Thirty Seconds ” for four years now. In September 2006 she skipped 152 in thirty seconds.

– The record for “The Largest Toast at a Single Venue” was made this past June in Tokyo at a Swallows vs Tigers baseball game. 27,126 people held up their drinks in unison and said 「かんぱい！」 (“Cheers!”) together.

– The famous Japanese TV host Mino Monta broke the record for hosting the “Most Live Hours on TV in a Single Week” when he was on TV for a total 22 hours and 15 seconds in one week.

– When 569 Honda car drivers got together in Tochigi, Japan this past July they set the record for the “Longest Parade of Honda Cars“.

– The parade of Honda cars must have been quite a sight…but couldn’t have compared to the procession of 323 young women in bikinis at a shopping center in Tokyo this past May. They broke the record for the “Longest Bikini Parade“.

– Since 2008, Toshie Kawakami of Tokyo has held the record for “Longest Eyebrow Hair” when she had a single eyebrow hair officially measured at a length of 15.1 cm (nearly 6 inches) long.

What types of world records are held by people from your country?