Emerging in the early 2000s, Japan’s maid cafés, where waitresses in French maid’s costumes serve and chat with customers, were once seen as niche subculture hangouts for a mainly male clientele. But they have now evolved into a mainstream attraction and are increasingly drawing foreign visitors to Japan.
To display this content from YouTube, you must enable tracking and audience measurement.
One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.
Japan’s maid cafés: From niche subculture to tourist draw © AFP 03:14 Japan’s maid cafés: From niche subculture to tourist draw Issued on: 19/05/2026 - 17:02 Share Emerging in the early 2000s, Japan’s maid cafés, where waitresses in French maid’s costumes serve and chat with customers, were once seen as niche subculture hangouts for a mainly male clientele. But they have now evolved into a mainstream attraction and are increasingly drawing foreign visitors to Japan.
Kentucky primary tests Trump's hold on Republican base 19/05/2026 Americas China in a stronger position with US and Russia "embroiled in wars they started" 19/05/2026 Asia / Pacific Putin hopes to deepen China's commitment to Russian oil 19/05/2026 How dependent is Russia on its economic ties with China?
19/05/2026 Asia / Pacific Kenya's transportation strike suspended as negotiations take place 19/05/2026 Africa WHO worried about 'scale and speed' of Ebola outbreak 19/05/2026 Africa Funding and Ebola epidemic loom over WHO's annual summit 19/05/2026 Health Iconic Parisian bridge slowly turning into immersive cave as artist takes over 19/05/2026 France Ukraine increasingly able to strike inside Russia thanks to new drones 19/05/2026 Europe
