Naoko Kodama Mayu Kushida Hanae Shiraki Suguru Wadahosei university

Maids line up side by side at a maid cafe’s entrance and greet with one voice, “Okaeri-nasaimase goshujin-sama” (Welcome home my master.)

That’s the first thing customers see at most of maid cafes in Japan.

Exporting them may be an interesting business idea. For Mario Papp, a former Hosei University’s exchange student, it’s his dream to open one in his home coun-try, Hungary.

“Even before I went to Tokyo I had a dream that I want to open a business in Hungary which has something to do with Japan. I wanted something unique that is really Japanese, mostly only found in Japan, and is easy to take it and reinvent in my home country. So I had idea of open-ing a maid cafe,” Papp said in an interview.

Generally, a maid cafe is viewed as a place for people who like otaku (geek) culture, but is actually enjoyable to many people. The interaction with maids is what people really like and what makes a maid cafe unique. A maid cafe is a place where customers can relax and forget about their problems.

Non-Japanese students in Hosei Univer-sity find maid cafes unique and they have never seen anything similar outside Japan. They also said they think a maid cafe is a place for mainly women to work at.

But he applied for a position at a maid cafe and landed a job at @home cafe in Akihabara, the mecca of otaku culture and

home of many maid cafes. As is the case with any foreigners with a student visa in Japan, he was allowed to work a maximum 28 hours a week. But his col-leagues understood and accepted his condition, which he appreciated.

“Because I was in a kitchen, I mostly learned skills that are useful for prepar-ing food, cleaning, checking inventory and so on. Also I improved my Japanese skills, mostly speaking, by communicating with my colleagues. I also learned keigo (honorific.)”

Papp’s English speaking skill was useful for @home cafe when foreign media tried to ask for permission to take photographs in the maid cafe. He was always there to interpret even though it was not part of his job description, he said.

He also said it is forbidden for kitchen members to have relationship with maids.

Overall, he had lots of fun working there. Even though he sometimes had hard time, he was always cheered up by everyone around him and felt happy.

“At first, I was nervous, but I had no choice but keep trying because that was first step in realizing my dreams” he said

Working in made cafe is just the begin-ning of his dream. Now, he is carrying out his plan gradually.

Next summer, he will start to look for financial supporters and places to open a maid cafe.

“I’m so excited now because it is becom-ing more than just a dream,” Papp said.

Opening a maid cafe in HungaryWorld Meets Hosei

Contributors

Hosei University, 2-17-1 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyohttp://www.hosei.ac.jp

P1

Mariko Miyaguchi, junior, Faculty of Letters,

Kanae Shibata, junior, Faculty of Intercultural

CommunicationMinori Suzuki,

sophomore, Faculty of Social Sciences

Emi Torigai, junior, Faculty of Letters

P2 top

Miko Kishida, junior, Faculty of Intercultural

CommunicationSora Miyasaka,

freshman, Faculty of Business AdministrationAyumi Ono,

junior, Faculty of EconomicsShinichi Takeuchi,

sophomore, Faculty of Law

P2 bottom

Natsuho Ishizuka, freshman, Faculty of Humanity

and EnvironmentKanae Ito,

junior, Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Career Studies

Chifumi Koide, junior, Faculty of Engineering

and Design

P3

Naoko Kodama, junior, Faculty of Bioscience

and Applied ChemistryMayu Kushida,

sophomore, Faculty of LettersHanae Shiraki,

freshman, Faculty of LawSuguru Wada,

junior, Faculty of Intercultural Communication

P4

Soichiro Ezawa, freshman, Faculty of Letters

Yui Fujii, junior, Faculty of Law

Kosuke Ui, junior, Faculty of Economics

Honami Wada, sophomore, Faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

Ichigaya Campus

• Faculty of Law• Faculty of Letters• Faculty of Business Administration• Faculty of Intercultural Communication• Faculty of Humanity and Environment• Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Career Studies• Faculty of Engineering and Design• Faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS)

Tama Campus

• Faculty of Economics• Faculty of Social Sciences• Faculty of Social Policy and Administration• Faculty of Sports and Health Studies

Koganei Campus

• Faculty of Science and Engineering• Faculty of Bioscience and Applied Chemistry• Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences

Hosei University’s undergraduate faculties