Concept
The concept behind the cafe, Hirohata says, came to her after interviewing "over 200 women" who all told her that Japanese women "want a cafe where the waiters were male, good-looking, will treat them nice, but most importantly were Western." The cafe claims to be a place of "healing" for women at an affordable price, in which Japanese girls are provided a "safe setting" to interact with foreign men. The cafe attempts to create an atmosphere reminiscent of a western fairy tale. The butlers treat the customers in a cordial manner by opening doors, taking coats and pulling out chairs, and tiaras are even presented with their meal. The butlers, down on bended knee, play games and, when desired, engage in English conversation as entertainment for the "princesses." A lift me up photo is even on the menu in which the customer can be lifted by the butler of her choice for a picture they later print out. Western-style fantasies have long been popular in Japan, an example being the large success of the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks since they opened in 1983 and 2001. The butlers are foreign males, often in their 20's and ideally "cute, cheerful and sweet."
Read more about this topic: Butlers Cafe
Famous quotes containing the word concept:
“By speaking, by thinking, we undertake to clarify things, and that forces us to exacerbate them, dislocate them, schematize them. Every concept is in itself an exaggeration.”
—José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)
“I was thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we can just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we got something here.”
—Michael Tolkin, U.S. screenwriter, and Robert Altman. Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins)
“It is impossible to dissociate language from science or science from language, because every natural science always involves three things: the sequence of phenomena on which the science is based; the abstract concepts which call these phenomena to mind; and the words in which the concepts are expressed. To call forth a concept, a word is needed; to portray a phenomenon, a concept is needed. All three mirror one and the same reality.”
—Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794)