Edelstein Cafe

Last Sunday, two friends and I went to Edelstein Cafe--a German all-boys bording school themed cafe. Yes, you read that right, although you may want to read it again to let it sink in. You may have heard of Japan's "maid cafes," where girls dressed in maid outfits serve costumers tea and coffee and play games with them (for an extra fee of course), which are aimed primarily at male "otaku" or "nerds." This cafe is for the female otaku, who enjoys "boys love" comics, where the characters are good-looking young men who fall in love with each-other. You can see how a place such as an all boys bording school with all male teachers would be the perfect setting for such romance. The staff at Edelstein are all attractive men who play the part of either a student or teacher at the school. The customers play the part of the school's patrons (who are for the most part female...although men are deffinately welcome to visit as well).

I had to make a reservation a week in advance because the small 20 seat cafe fills up fast. There is also a time-limit of an hour and 15 minutes before you have to leave to make room for the next reserved customer. Though there is, surprisingly, no cover or extra charge outside of the price you pay for what you eat and drink, so it is not outrageously expensive.

Now, let me walk you through my Edelstein experience:

We arrived promptly at our reserved time (being a top-notch bording school, they have very strict rules about timeliness). Upon entering, we were greated by the principal, and then handed over to a man in a white lab coat (who we later discovered was the science teacher), who explained the rules of the school and had us fill out our "visitor passes"/stamp cards (like at subway). The passes must be worn around the neck while visiting the cafe, to ensure no one unrelated to the school disrupts the peaceful atmosphere.

We were then led to our table by a student, summoned by the ring of a bell, who presented us with the menu and another copy of the rules (no photography, 1 1/2 hr. time limit, etc.). He then left us to consider our options. When he came back to take our order, I made sure to ask him, "what type of weiners are included on the 'weiner plate,'" to which he answered, "sausage and chorizo," without missing a beat. (wow, either he gets that joke a lot, or it just doesn't translate into Japanese...) We eventually ordered our drinks and a cheeseplate to share.

Since one friend and I ordered beer, it had to be brought to the table by the science teacher and the principal, since the students are under-age. The science teacher also brought our cheese, but was stumped when I asked for an explanation of the types of cheese. He had to go back to the kitchen to ask, before telling us it was, blue cheese, cheese with pepper, and "smoked cheese"--wow...didn't know you could just have cheese "smoked" (I always thought it had to be a certain type, like gouda, or cheddar...) Well, he was the science teacher, not the lunch lady afterall, so can't hold it against him.

Meanwhile, when not waiting on customers, the students, who wore adorable blue plaid uniforms, would sit broodingly in the corner, reading a book. Gotta study for the big quiz on Monday I guess. Meanwhile...the whole time we were there, the three of us just barely managed to keep from bursting into an uncontrollable fit of laughter...it was really hard because everyone, both the customers--I mean visitors to the school, and staff--I mean the students and teachers at the school, were so serious. Does no one in Japan realize the ridiculousness? Well, I suppose if they did, places like Edelstein Cafe wouldn't exist, so I am truly greatful that "ridiculous" is not in the Japanese vocabulary.

Before we even got to harrass (good-naturedly of course) the students and teachers as much as we would have liked, our hour and 15 mins. were up, so we had to pay the bill before being escorted out by the principal. On the way out, though, he did point out that they had a wide selection of books and games that could be used freely. So, next time, we will deffinately have to try to get some of the boys to play chess with us or something. Oh, yeah, there will most deffinately be a next time. Especially since we received birthday tickets that can be redeemed during ones birthday month and entitle one to a special birthday dessert, a happy birthday serenade by the students and teachers (oh, Sweet Jesus I hope it is in Engrish!!!), AND a special memorial photo! Since photos are usually prohibited, I am especially excited about this. Looks like I will be going back next month for a birthday extravaganza, hahahahahahaha!

For more info on Edelstien cafe (in Japanese): http://www.cafe-edelstein.com/top.html

We couldn't take photos inside, but that didn't stop us from taking them outside!