"Maid cafes started springing up in the early 2000s in Akihabara, Tokyo's bustling, glowing electronics district. Inspired by the locals' fascination with manga and anime.....Customers, all facing the front of the room, are either fawned over embarrassingly, teased, ignored or directly abused, depending on the café and the maid's mood."
Source:Is this the craziest place on Earth?
Ben Groundwater
August 1st, 2012
The Age Newspaper online