Long known as a hub for electronic and comic geeks, Tokyo’s Akihabara district is now a battleground for role-play based maid cafes. In the latest twist to popular maid cafes, Japanese boys cross-dress and fill in for women to serve the patrons.

“Bakabakashii” is how maids in this unique troupe explain its appeal.That means silly. Hibaritei features “maids” who are men. In Akihabara, it’s common to see men dressed as maids or their favorite anime characters, but this trend has reached new heights with the launch of cross-dressing maid troupe Hibaritei. In a twist, the cross-dressing maids are all weekday salarymen who are straight, most having girlfriends. These men are not financially troubled in any way. Most work in IT companies and come to Akiba often because of work.

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[article updated with link to the original report, thanks Jay)