Maids.....This may get weird...

I think we can all agree that this is one of the general "weird" things about Japanese culture. I mean, I don't think you could walk out onto the streets of LA or NYC and see a girl in a maid outfit handing you a flyer, or maybe you just live in a different part of town. If you think this is strange, you should. This aspect of Japan's culture actually stems from the fetishes (yeah...) of hardcore anime, manga, and video game fans. The entire concept is based on the fact that these "maids" are the physical, real-life, embodiment of types of fictional characters that Otaku (Super-Fans) drool over.

Maids can be seen (usually) in 1 of 3 places:

1. Maid Cafes, where the entire female staff are dressed in maid outfits.
2. Streets, where they can be seen shouting, waving, and acting as cute as possible to get the attention of passerby, while handing out flyers.
3. Select "Hostess Clubs": This idea takes the "Maid Cafe" concept several steps further. Basically, it is a club where men (or women) can go to have drinks with, talk with, and enjoy time with "Maids". Think of it as a night club, but where the staff are paid to interact with you on a personal level. Because of this level of interaction, the lines between entertainer and paid "escort" are sometimes blurred. The "Maids" are sometimes paid under the table by patrons to come home with them for the night and...well, you know the rest. The saddest part is that a large chunk of these entertainers are under the age of 20, the legal age of consent in Japan.

Yeah...it got weird...

W...T...F