Apparently the latest craze in the craze-lovin’ land of Japan is the Maid Cafe. Patrons come to these spots in Aki-ba to be waited on hand-and-foot by a bevy of maids.

“Welcome home, Master,” says the maid as she bows deeply, hands clasped in front of a starched pinafore worn over a short pink dress.

This maid serves not some aristocrat but a string of pop-culture-mad customers at a “Maid Cafe” in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, long known as a Mecca for electronics buffs but now also the center of the capital’s “nerd culture.”

“When they address you as ‘Master’, the feeling you get is like a high,” says Koji Abei, a 20-year-old student having coffee with a friend at the Royal Milk Cafe and Aromacare.

“I’ve never felt that way before.”

Don’t get me wrong: I like good service more than the average patron, but even I’m a little creeped out by the participatory illusion these otaku engage in. I suppose at a base level it’s no different than going to a strip club, but somehow less sincere. I think it’s generally understood why people go to a strip club, but can you say the same about a Maid Cafe? This unclear subtext I think is what makes it so cool… but still creepy. However, it’s not all flash: You can pay to get your ears cleaned while you’re there.