A Maid Black Ship Arrives from Taiwan! A report on the Tsukuyomi Maid Cafe Akihabara Store! A visit to Akiba by Shun Gori

As we call ourselves "Akiba Research Institute," we feel that we must know the culture and roots of Akihabara these days. And Akiba has a "moe culture" that is twinned with "otaku culture. To experience this Akihabara moe culture, we last visited the " Cure Maid Café " and this time we went to the "Tsukuyomi Maid Café Akihabara" which just pre-opened on December 10, 2023.

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Tsukuyomi Maid Cafe opened in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2005. It is a long-established maid café in Taiwan, boasting a history of 18 years this year, and currently operates 7 stores in Taiwan. Now, it has made a full-scale entry into Akihabara, the birthplace of Japan's moe culture! The eighth store in total and the first in Japan, "Tsukuyomi Maid Cafe Akihabara Store" pre-opened on December 10, 2023.

The store is located on the 7th floor of the Kyomitsu Sotokanda Building, a 5-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station.

The building is a fierce battleground with four maid cafes in the area, including this store.

The interior is brightly lit and decorated in a white gothic style. When you enter the store from the bustling streets of Akiba, you will instantly feel as if you have entered a different world.

The restaurant has a total of 34 seats at the counter and tables, so you can enjoy your meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

The name "Tsukuyomi" in Chinese characters is displayed on the elevator at the entrance, and a stage resembling a carriage coach is set up in the center of the store.

Of course, the most important thing about a maid café is the maids who work there. At the time of the pre-opening, maids who came from the main store in Taiwan to help out and Taiwanese and Hong Kong girls who were studying abroad were the main workers, but they will be recruiting Japanese maids in Japan in the future. Nevertheless, the maids who currently serve us are also fluent in Japanese, so we have no trouble communicating with them.

Incidentally, it is my personal opinion, having lived in Taiwan for three years, that Taiwanese girls are very cute! (This is just my personal opinion.)

Since this is a maid café from Taiwan, the menu and system are a bit special compared to ordinary maid cafés. In terms of the system, there is no charge or entrance fee, and you only need to order 1,500 yen worth of food for 60 minutes; if you want to stay longer than 60 minutes (extended), you can extend your stay by ordering an additional 1,500 yen.

In addition to the maid café's standard omu-rice, the menu features many dishes that are hard to find in Japanese maid cafés, such as "Salted Salmon Puff Pastry" and "Radish Rice Cake", both of which are standard items at Taiwan's night markets.

There are also many unfamiliar items on the drink and dessert menus, such as "Hi-Yaku Kai-Lak Water" and "HP/MP Restorative Set. The "Hike Kairaku Sui" means "fat" and "home" means "otaku," and it refers to the "water that fat otaku like," in other words, Coke.

This is the "HP/MP recovery agent set.

The red HP restorer and blue MP restorer come out separately, so you can mix them to your favorite color and flavor.

And here is the "Maid Special.

The red and blue two-layer drink is topped with a float (ice cream) and heart-shaped marshmallows. This is perfect for those who want to take a "I went to a maid café" type photo! Of course, they taste delicious, so be sure to order one.

From the food menu, I ordered the "rouleau omelette rice". Of course, you can have the maids draw on it!

Curry is poured around the rice omelet, and when you flip the egg over, you will see rou roe (roe meat) on top.

Loulou is pork belly stewed in a sweet and spicy sauce, and is a staple menu item in Taiwan. The rou roe has an authentic local (Taiwanese) flavor that even the author, who lived in Taiwan for three years, remembers from his home country. This omelette is so delicious because the rou roe, curry, and egg are a perfect match!

By the way, omelette rice in Taiwan is usually made with white rice, not ketchup rice, so don't be surprised.

Here is the Magical Wagyu Beef Noodle.

Beef noodle (new lo-men) is a standard menu item in Greater China, with flavors and cooking methods varying by region, but the beef noodles at Tsukuyomi Maid Café are the Taiwanese style of "red-baked beef noodles.

This special menu item is served with sumptuous wagyu beef meat, and the maids "infuse" (pour soup into) it to complete the dish.

And here is the "Taiwanese Pākō Lohan Set". Pākō (排骨) is pork spare ribs, which are usually fried in Taiwan. This luxurious set includes a large portion of pork ribs and lu lo han, and is recommended for those who want to eat with gusto.

Each menu item is as good as the authentic Taiwanese taste, so those who have experienced Taiwan can enjoy it nostalgically, while those who have not can enjoy it freshly.

Incidentally, the chopstick bag has "Welcome home, master and lady" written on it in Japanese and Chinese, so you can take it home as a good souvenir.

So this time, we had the opportunity to experience an authentic Taiwanese-style maid café and cuisine at Tsukuyomi Maid Café Akihabara, the first maid café from Taiwan to open a branch in Japan.

We had a great time chatting with the maids about Taiwan and Taiwanese food and learning Chinese, and enjoyed a different kind of time.

If you are ever in Akihabara, why not visit Tsukuyomi Maid Cafe Akihabara Store and experience a Taiwanese-style maid café?

Store Information

Name： Tsukuyomi Maid Cafe Akihabara Store

Address： 7F Kyomasu Sotokanda Building, 4-4-2 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Business hours： Weekdays 14：00～21：30, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 12：00～21：30

Closed: Open year-round

Official X (former Twitter): #

Store Map