ヘヘ。
Last Sunday I was inviteed to go on an Otaku (maybe おたく) tour of Tokyo, with some no-shit-it’s-their-hobby cosplay girls — which is kind of different from the Harajuku variety, as far as I’ve seen. It was a fun day. We started at an eight story manga and anime shop in Ikebukero, called Animate. I was introduced to many of the facets of Anime, including plush toys, soundtracks, and costumes. Thankfully, we skipped the male customer’s floor which hosts the manga and anime many people I’ve met back home judge the entire art on (I say ‘art’ because there are many genres of anime and manga).
We got through about three floors when we had to make an appointment for our next destination, a maid bar.
Here’s where I had my reservations. I’m not the only one. I thought for sure I’d have to put up with other women’s legs in my face while I tried to sip some tea. That wasn’t the case. We went to a place called the British Wonderland Pub, but despite the misgiving name, it is a place that treasures almost forgotten traditions of maids and butlers who curtsy when you pass them and are beckoned by bells. As soon as I stepped in I was reminded of a place Reed and I went to in Bath, where we had tea and scones, but were not served my maids or butlers. This little place in Ikebukero was great. My friends later mentioned that they had chosen it, not because it was popular — with, by the way a totally female crowd, though you wont find it in a guidebook — but because it is tasteful. I had to aggree. I cherished every sip of a king-size (I had expected it to be Japanese size) pot of tea. We then went back to Animate to finish our shopping before heading to our next destination in Shibuya.
There were to many things for us to do in one day, but we decided to forego more shopping and instead go to a really cool bowling alley. I love blacklighting. I think I was probably the oldest person in the place. Anyway, we did one set, as I admired and absorbed the surroundings, and then headed off to our final destination.
On our way we stopped by a seven-eleven and picked up some snacks to take with us to the coolest Karaoke bar I’ve ever seen. More blacklights, more glow in the dark paints, more strobes that pulse with the music, it was awesome. I’ve never had such a relaxing and fun time at Karaoke. It was really girly. Many anime themesongs were sung. I think I’ve seen that place in Japanese movies that take place in Tokyo.
Anyway, that was our day. We had a lot of fun. On the way back I got to stop by the five-floor Shinjuku Tower Records, and I found the New Trust CD I was looking for. It was a truely great day.
That sounds like a rad day! And what a cool idea for a pub.
I was talking with our good friends Kien and Noriko over dinner one night about the 7-11’s in Japan. It still makes me giggle a bit to know that they are such a hot spot there, but I know that they are totally different than they are here in the states.
Glad you had an awesome day, sounded tons of fun.
Thanks, it was a fun day. I have to clear something up though. It wasn’t a pub that we went to, or a bar, it was a cafe. I’m not sure what you would call it, but they only serve tea, biscuits and cake. ‘Maid bar’ is sort of a generic term that encompasses any sort of restaurant where servers are dressed up as maids or butlers (usually maids).
Pics, please!
I’d love to see some of the wares – sounds like a larger than life type of place. It kind of reminds me of that photocopied article about otakus you sent us. Fun stuff!
Just got around to checking your site for updates and I feel truly rewarded. Both of your 2007 entries are great reads. Sounds like you are still really enjoying yourself even though you are having to work hard. Say Hi to the guy for me. Love you. Miss you.