"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.

Characters who are androgynous or of uncertain gender are stock types in manga and anime. The most representative series is perhaps Ranma 1/2, a manga turned anime that appeared in the late 1980s. The protagonist is a boy who has been cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, but when splashed with hot water he returns to his original gender.

In Japanese, "josou" (女装) refers to men who wear women's clothes. Josou is different from cosplay and those who do josou are particular about the difference in terms. While there are cosplayers who josou, not all josou cosplay. These cross-dressers find their likes in Akihabara because, as one says, "Akihabara is probably the only place in Japan that allows for this." As with most things in Japan, it is OK to do whatever you do as long as it is done within boundaries. However, since cross-dressing is becoming more prominent in the media and in fantasy, cross-dressing seems to be increasingly acceptable to Japanese society.

Why did a bunch of white-collar workers start Hibaritei? Simply for the fun of it, say the Hibaritei "maids." Although the cafes that host Hibaritei for their cross-dressing events may appear profitable, always reaching capacity with waiting lists as long as 2 hours, the truth is that they are not turning much of a profit.

Most staff at Hibaritei were first-time performing cross-dressers whose first experience was being forced to wear women's clothes by a girlfriend. Star Hibaritei maid Chazuke was the only one who cross-dressed out of necessity - he was too skinny to find men's clothes that fit and so turned to women's wear.

Most of the maids sport long hair of their own. Despite the locks and dresses, they don't always come across as women. Their customers seek out the strange, and anything goes with Hibaritei. The maids have their own strong personalities, which makes them interesting. They are fun-loving and sporting enough to not take themselves seriously.

Nothing is planned or rehearsed with Hibaritei. The play offered here is not something you can find in other maid cafes; staff lift up each others' skirts with childish tomfoolery. It seems that skirt-flipping is an anticipated activity, and some come prepared. Underneath one of the bunny-eared maid's outfits was a leopard-print bunny outfit and a white furry bunny tail. Other waitresses also had unique underpants to show off, and they used all available opportunities to do so. Exhibitionism was rampant: eventually the bunny maid took off his maid costume to reveal the complete bunny-girl outfit during peak hours. It's difficult to imagine antics like this going down well with customers if the staff were not male and if this were not Akiba.

The interesting thing about Hibaritei is that they go a step beyond the usual maid cafe. Maids are personable and sincere and chat with customers like friends. There is a little pink booklet with profiles of maids and their pictures to help customers familiarize themselves with them. There are even photo albums being passed around to keep customers entertained, and the A4-size photos are available for 1,000 yen each.

The food is not neglected amid all the horseplay. In the kitchen are Hibaritei's own staff, a group of granny types often seen in mainstream chow halls. During one visit, the recommended dish of the day was a black curry parfait: black curry in a sundae glass made to look like a real parfait, decorated with cherry tomatoes and hard-boiled quail eggs.

For those who have had their fill of ordinary maid cafes, Hibaritei's services offer a refreshing experience that can become addictive. But don't let yourself get too hooked - Hibaritei's schedule is irregular so getting your fix might prove difficult. Their events rotate in a network of maid cafes: Royal Milk, Bar Wood and Honey Sheep. Be sure to check out their website (in Japanese) or Akibanana (in English) for their next event.