If you’re out enjoying the fantasies and frills, don’t forget that they come at a very real price.
In many ways, Japan’s maid cafes are a smaller-scale, more relaxed version of the country’s hostess bars. At a maid cafe, the atmosphere is designed to feel less exclusive, the pressure to keep ordering isn’t as intense, and menu items are generally less expensive.
Still, maid cafes are, above all else, businesses, and so they’ll be happy to take as much of your money as you choose to exchange for their goods and services. As proof, consider this receipt from a branch of restaurant chain Afilia, located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. Afilia gets full marks for thorough theming, as the chain has a detailed backstory about a fantasy kingdom populated by mages, and presents its waitresses as students at the royal academy of magic. Dressed in costumes that are half-maid and half-anime magical girl, each has a fictional profile listing her favorite subject and school club membership, such as flying, transformation, or magical Pilates.
But all that theming can come at a very high price.
なにもかも狂気 pic.twitter.com/8wkCYhXEtW
— 🍒たかたか❕ 💛💙˻˳˯ₑᶫᵒᵛᵉ (@URATAKAO) January 22, 2017
Let’s take a look through the lengthy list of items:
● Male customer charge: ¥1,100
● Male customer 30-minute time extension (8 times): ¥4,400
● Ueei: ¥1,200
● Photograph: ¥1,200
● Tsu-chan highball: ¥1,200
● The One Everyone Likes: ¥1,500
● Tsu-chan highball: ¥1,200
● Dom Perignon P2: ¥160,000
● Nina-chan: ¥1,000
● Dom Perignon Rose: ¥84,000
● Cocoa: ¥1,000
● Dom Perignon: ¥44,000
● Ame-chan: ¥1,200
● Strong Wind: ¥1,200
● Dom Perignon: ¥44,000
● Ame-chan: ¥1,200
● Meno-chan: ¥1,200
● Dom Perignon Rose: ¥84,000
● Dom Perignon: ¥44,000
It’s difficult to deduce exactly what some of the items are, thought the ones ending in -chan are ostensibly the names of waitresses the customer paid a surcharge to have spend time with him. Add it all up, and the bill came to a staggering 478,400 yen (US$4,120).
@URATAKAO, the Japanese Twitter user who shared the snapshot, insists that he merely found the receipt, and is not the big-spending diner who ran up the towering tab. As such, the identity of the big-spending champagne fan (we’re guessing he’s a fan, since he ordered six bottles of the stuff) remains unknown.
If you’re keen to see for yourself whether Afilia is really so wonderful as to be worth dropping a couple grand at, the chain has five branches in Tokyo, one in Osaka, one in Nagoya, and a final location in Saitama Prefecture’s Omiya. Just don’t forget to bring plenty of cash, or, alternatively, a modicum of restraint.
Related: Afilia
Source: Jin, Twitter/@URATAKAO

Japan’s reverse maid cafe lets cosplaying customers play the part of maids in Tokyo
Sanro’s lazy egg Gudetama now has its own maid cafe in Tokyo’s Akihabara
Abuse Cafe Japan: We get abused by waitresses in maids’ uniforms at Tokyo’s viral pop-up diner
Brand-new Cardcaptor Sakura Cafe opens in Tokyo this week, with Kero-chan calling the shots
Akihabara Nagomido manga cafe x Felissimo Cat Division Parlor collaboration café is open meow
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Japan’s Poképark Kanto Pokémon theme park area shows first attraction photos
Bamboo trees vandalized near Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari shrine, foreign graffiti prevalent
New KitKat pizzas are coming to Pizza Hut Japan
Here’s what our bachelor writers ate over the New Year’s holiday in Japan
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Big in Japan: 25 insightful musings from a self-proclaimed “fatty”
Don Quijote now sells a bento of American corn dog ends
What’s inside Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2026?
This is what happens when you order US$80 of extra pickles on a Burger King Whopper
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Princess Mononoke magnets return just in time to treat yourself to awesome anime decorations
Umamusume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have【Pics】
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
Japanese women showing rebounding interest in giving Valentine’s Day chocolate【Survey】
We ate sushi made from Japan’s most expensive tuna ever【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
Leave a Reply