As long as you fill certain requirements, you too can be a maid in Japan.
With a tagline that reads, “Of the GAIJIN! By the GAIJIN!! For the GAIJIN!!!”, it’s easy to understand what Akihabara’s newest maid cafe is all about, once you find out that the word “gaijin” means “foreigner” in Japanese.
Called “Sugoi Kawaii“, which translates to “Super Cute“, this new maid cafe is set to open in late June in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, where it aims to stand out from a bevy of competing establishments with its unique selling point: foreign maids.
According to Minowhuski, the company behind the idea, this new cafe is designed to help spread the culture of “moe” throughout the world. A concept not easily explained in words, “moe” refers to the strong feelings of affection that fans feel for cute and endearing characters in manga, anime and video games.
Staff at maid cafes serve up refreshments and light meals with a side of moe by using cute phrases with customers and engaging them in fun, simple games. However, given that local staff at these cafes usually use Japanese to speak with customers, regardless of whether a customer can understand Japanese, Minowhuski believes it can be difficult for visitors to fully appreciate moe culture.
At the new Sugoi Kawaii cafe, foreign maids will be able to convey moe culture to foreign guests more effectively by using the same types of cute phrases and games commonly enjoyed at maid cafes, only this time it will be in a language they can understand. While the “official” language at the cafe will be English, the company aims to hire people who can speak different languages as well.
▼ Current staff hail from countries like France, Germany, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy and the U.S.
If getting paid to serve customers in a maid’s outfit sounds like your dream job, then you’ll be happy to know that the cafe is currently hiring! According to the job ad, the cafe operators are looking for “multinational gaijin maids” aged between 16 and 29, who are available to work a shift of four hours or more between the hours of 6-11 p.m. on two to four days of the week.
The hourly wage is 1,000 yen (US$8.95), and 950 yen during the training period, a rate which is on par with the large majority of part-time jobs in Japan.
Head on over to the cafe’s official English website for application details, which ask for photos, bust-waist-hip measurements, and height and weight details for each applicant.
While it’s not mentioned in the job description, if you happen to have experience at one of the maid cafes in Russia or the U.S., it’s sure to put you at an advantage.
Sources: Akiba Keizai Shimbun, Sugoi Kawaii
Top image: Sugoi Kawaii
Insert images: Sugoi Kawaii
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