Tofugu.com – Wonky Japanese Language and Culture

The era of the Geisha for the most part has ended, but the cultural tradition of larger than life females remains very much alive.  Outside traditional areas in cities like Kyoto, there are very few Geisha to be found in Japan these days, but in their place are virtually endless varieties of “Fantasy Girls.”  Samurai used to pay elaborately dressed Geisha to sing, dance, and generally make them feel good about themselves after a long day working for their lord.  In modern times, “shain” 社員 (company men) can choose their own “Fantasy Girl” to perform the same function.  In many cases, the purpose of their service goes beyond simple physical attractiveness to provide an avenue of escapism through individual attention, fantastic scenarios, and over-the-top service.  People come from around the world to participate in the many fantastic worlds created by Japan’s “Fantasy Girls,” and this post should serve as an introduction to what all the fuss is about by presenting a few well known groups of women (sometimes men) who set the stage for fantasy: キャバクラ (Kyabakura), ホステスクラブ／ホストクラブ (Host/Hostess Club), スナックバー (Snack Bar), and メイドカフェ (Maid Cafes). Read more…

Those silly otaku are finally wishing they had met their moms. See? Never leaving your room does have implications.

They are finally putting down their Gundam model constructor kit. They are finally putting Street Fighter II down. Some of them are even facing that big yellow orb in the sky and huffing and puffing their way on over to “Mother Café,” a particularly maternal café in Osaka with “older looking women” who are actually instructed to nag you about things… “Just to get the experience to be more accurate.”

“Takeshi-kun! You really need to pay for your visit this time.”
“But moooommmmm.”
“No, seriously, you actually have to pay for this.”
“Seriously?”

You’d think you could experience nagging from your actual mother, if you wanted to. So how in the world did this place come into existence?

Apparently, “Mother Café” was created because “there wasn’t really anywhere that had a library of over 10,000 different manga, and also allowed people with a bit of a maniac streak about them to pursue their hearts’ desire.” Maniac streak is right. Read more…