{
  "id": 13262264,
  "title": "Maids at Tokyo cafe ramp up efforts to attract foreign visitors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/maids-at-tokyo-cafe-ramp-up-efforts-to-attract-foreign-visitors",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T00:00:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261008/p2g/00m/0na/028000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At a Tokyo cafe in the popular Akihabara district, maids are honing their skills to cater to foreign visitors. The cafe, known as At-home, is a renowned maid café that is believed to have originated the \"Moe Moe Kyun\" phrase used by maids to express their affection for customers. With over 700 maids across 13 locations in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, At-home prides itself on an elaborate ranking system for its staff, who dress in distinct uniforms and refer to customers as \"Master\" or \"Princess.\"\n\nDespite their submissive language and costumes, the cafe maintains a strict no-touching policy and does not disclose personal details of its maids. The business has seen a surge in popularity, with foreign tourists flocking to the city by the millions, spending over $60 billion in 2025. To accommodate this growing international clientele, At-home has introduced English lessons for its maids, helping them communicate more effectively with overseas customers.",
  "summary": "TOKYO (Kyodo) -- At a cafe in Tokyo's famed Akihabara district, \"maids\" are increasingly learning to accommodate foreign visitors by studying English",
  "key_points": [
    "At-home cafe in Akihabara trains maids for foreign visitors.",
    "Cafe has 13 locations across Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.",
    "Maids learn English to communicate with overseas customers."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Tokyo cafe's effort to teach its maids English upgrades their service to better tap into the lucrative foreign tourist market, which spent over $60 billion in the city in 2025.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}