‘Gothic Lolitas’ massage their way into geeks’ hearts
Japanese are well known for their love of dressing up, a custom that has given rise to the current popularity of “costume play,” which involves young women engaging in role playing while wearing a variety of outlandish garb. One of the more popular costumes is that of French maids. The maid uniform fad seems to have first caught on at upscale, European-style cafes where customers can enjoy a cuppa served by a gal in black dress, sequined apron and little embroidered taira.
But, as Japanese are wont to do with anything that involves young women and a fad, it was not long at all before someone got the idea of adopting the uniforms to massage parlors, and since February 2005, the numbers of such establishments began to soar.
Some of these spots, Shukan Taishu (3/20) reports, are so popular that customers stand in line outside the doors. And others can boast customers so enthusiastic, they visit their favorite shop five days a week.
Wait a second! Did you say five days a week? Well, yes. We are talking about places that only charge 1,000 or 2,000 yen for short visits, with no hanky-panky involved. Go and figure.
At least 10 of the 18 shops introduced in the article are situated in Tokyo’s electronics wholesale district Akihabara. Which, in addition to being a center of Japan’s IT industry, is also its undisputed mecca of geekdom.
And what’s Shukan Taishu’s explanation for that?
“Well, Akihabara has got lots of computer users, and in addition to eye fatigue, many complain of stiff necks, sore shoulders and aching backs,” explains the operator of a store in Tokyo’s famous electronics wholesale district. “Being massaged by a girl in a maid uniform gives them a lift — I suppose it has a sort of suggestive effect. To work the kinks out of their muscles, a massage won’t be effective unless you get them to relax first. The maid costume seems to be the most suitable for achieving this.”
Akihabara’s “Cutie Relax,” closest of all the shops to JR Akihabara Station, may be just the thing for a nerdy programmer looking to get away from his keyboard for some relaxation with a cutie. Open from noon to 10:00 p.m., this establishment, which opened last December, may be a little bit hard to locate, but Shukan Taishu’s article provides the telephone numbers for all the establishments mentioned, and advises phoning, since “Cutie Relax” will dispatch a maid to meet the customer at the point he designates.
Other spots specialize in reflexology, i.e., foot massage. Akihabara’s “M@i Foot,” one of the first of its kind to open, has a stable of over 20 maids, with an average age of 22. In addition to their ministering to the customer’s hands and feet, visitors can sit at the shop’s oxygen bar and enjoy a few minutes inhaling their choice of 10 favorite fragrances.
Meanwhile “Holy-Land,” which opened two months ago in Osaka’s “Minami” district, features “angels” who dress up in the garb of so-called “Gothic Lolitas.” In addition to foot massages, it also provides manicures.
Although some of these shops feature private rooms with TVs and mini-refrigerators, no mention herein is made of sex services. In fact, at least some of the shops readily admit female customers, and some even welcome couples visiting together.
Shukan Taishu’s message, this time at least, seems to be, “Come on, guys, relax and enjoy it. There’s more to life than getting laid, y’know!” (By Masuo Kamiyama, People’s Pick contributor.)
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