'Little brother' cafes, for when your own family just isn't weird enough

Japan's gone maid-cafe crazy, it seems. By the end of 2009 Tokyo had a reported 217, ranging from the cute to the crazy, mostly targeted at members of Japan's male nerd, or otaku, culture, particularly in Akihabara. But what about a place for the girls?

Slowly but surely, Ototo ("Little Brother") cafes are moving in. 

The typical set-up is for female staff to dress up as boys, with colored hair, waistcoats and bow ties. Instructions at Cafe B's Prince in Sotokanda explain how you can "drink tea, eat sweets and pass the time with your kid brother." Upon entering, the staff will greet ladies as "onee-chan" (older sister), just to make you feel at home. Though any family that has its girlie-looking son serve his older sister tea and sweets, rather than dead lizards and other things found in the mud round back, sounds kinda dysfunctional to us. 

Girls-dressed-as-boys cafes are aimed mainly at fujoshi (females who read "yaoi" -- boy's love manga). But for a more genuine experience, you can also check out "dansou" cafes with butlers right in the heart of Shibuya, such as the cunningly titled Butler's Cafe which rather than the usual girls dressed as boys scenario, employs actual foreign guys. Edelstein cafe in Harajuku meanwhile pretends to be a boys school somewhere in Europe, with Japanese students and occasional guest appearances from actors from boy's-love manga theater productions.

A list of cafe's aimed at making girls feel like princesses (or big sisters) for a day can be found on Maid Runner.