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Akihabara maid cafe finds novel way to stay on brand during coronavirus crisis【Video】

Oona McGee Mar 3, 2020
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Masters and mistresses can only enter after receiving “moe ointment” at the door.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Japan, a large number of tourist attractions like Tokyo Disneyland and the Ghibli Museum are now taking extraordinary measures to help contain the outbreak by temporarily closing their doors to the public.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing for tourists to do here, though, as smaller-scale establishments remain open and are keen to do business, and one of those places is a maid cafe in Akihabara called Heart of Hearts.

https://twitter.com/cm_r0508/status/1216312157756743680

The staff at Heart of Hearts are more than just maids — they perform live shows onstage at their maid cafe too.

https://twitter.com/xheartofheartsx/status/1232187254157660162

While the maids at Heart of Hearts are ready to provide customers with a much-needed escape from all the worries and fears of the real world right now, they do need to take measures to protect themselves against the possibility of catching the novel coronavirus.

They’ve come up with a novel way to protect themselves, though, and rather than have it generate fear in customers, it actually adds an extra layer of “moe”, or anime-style cuteness, to the visit.

From late January, they’ve been greeting visitors at the door with what they’re calling “moe kusuri” or “moe ointment“. And to show how it’s administered, here are two of the cafe’s maids demonstrating the procedure in a helpful video:

今日も皆様に萌え薬で予防して頂きたいと思います🙋‍♀️⭐️
ぜひハートオブハーツでお待ちしております🙇‍♀️💓#秋葉原　 #メイドカフェ　 #メイド募集 #メイド　 #ハートオブハーツ
HP🎁https://t.co/3NS6Rtryim pic.twitter.com/blZ4jCmMOZ

— メイドカフェハートオブハーツ (@xheartofheartsx) January 25, 2020

Sure, out in the real world, mortal human beings would refer to this stuff as hand sanitiser, but here in the maid cafe world, the moe medicine acts as a fairytale potion to cure all ails. And it’s been working a treat, as it’s brought them a lot of positive attention from customers and Japanese media as well.

萌え薬 pic.twitter.com/HPQpZQWGwU

— タナチュー (@metal_tanaka) March 1, 2020

The brand of sanitiser being used by the maids is also pretty cute, as it comes with an image of a raccoon, and the words “Hand Sparkle Gel“.

#ハートオブハーツでは毎日手洗い
うがい＋萌え薬でウイルス予防🦠も
しています(^_^)

ご主人様方にもご協力頂いています💫

個人的にも去年から萌え薬持ち歩き
始めていた所でした😌💭

コロナウイルスが世界的に流行して
しまっているのでみんなで予防しましょう！https://t.co/SkUHekRfPI pic.twitter.com/ZpCV4uPChM

— あずにゃん♡ハートオブハーツ♡ (@HOH_azurinrin) February 29, 2020

The maids say the moe sanitisation system is one of several measures they’re taking to protect customers and themselves, as the staff regularly gargle and wash their hands, and ventilate the cafe by frequently opening windows as well.

It’s not always easy to keep a business running during a health crisis, especially when the drop in tourist numbers has sent at least one local establishment into bankruptcy. Here’s hoping more places follow in the footsteps of Heart of Hearts, and the Ninja Castle in Asakusa, to keep customers feeling calm and welcome during these uncertain times.

Source: Livedoor News via Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Pakutaso
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