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Sunday was a sunny, breezy spring day in San Francisco, a perfect day for a savory lunch, fabulous desserts, and a celebration of the sweetest food accessories ever concocted.  Don’t let the setting fool you, all of those doughnuts and petit fours are jewelry.
This weekend Japanese jewelry brand Q-Pot celebrated their 15th anniversary and the introduction of their new clothing line at Harajuku Hearts, a J-fashion boutique in the heart of San Francisco, California, with designer Tadaaki Wakamatsu himself as a special guest! I had the honor of attending the afternoon event (ticket sales were initially so popular a second time was added). Q-Pot specializes in hand-crafted jewelry and accessories that look like incredibly realistic miniature foods such as macarons, doughnuts, sorbet, whipped cream, chocolate chip cookies, and occasionally savory foods like hamburgers and french fries. Their new line features honey and lemon motifs just in time for summer!
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 A-to-J Connections have had the honor of interviewing Hitomi, President and Director of Infinia Co. Ltd. (The company that manages @home cafe), three times in 2016! The first of these took place at Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX (This can be found HERE) and most the recent was at Pacific Media Expo in Pasadena California this past fall. Her appearance at PMX featured a full-length concert, a focus panel, autograph and photo sessions, and participation in the PMX Fashion Show!
Hitomi has served at @home cafe for over a decade and has appeared in various media to promote the brand. These include appearances in television and magazines. Even though her primary goal is to provide the perfect customer experience at @home cafe, she is also an accomplished singer and dancer having been involved in groups like "Kanzen Maid Sengen" (Made up of other maids from @home cafe), DANCE POP GIRLS, and the dance unit "TEAM Junjou". In 2013 she became President of Infinia Co. Ltd. which manages @home cafe. Let's jump into the interview for more!  Thursday December 15, 2016, the Japan Foundation of Los Angeles held a special time capsule event at the Japanese American National Museum featuring, you geussed it, Hello Kitty.
Conceived in the mind of Sebastian Masuda, who has hosted similar events prior to today's, these "Time After Time" events never fail to draw in a varied crowd. While Sabastian Masuda did not attend this event, the Hello Kitty capsule he created was front and center. This might have disappointed some as the first time the capsule appeared at the JAMN the event included the chance for him to interact with fans and take photos.  Cake presented to Usagi and Chibusa’s voice actresses on stage (うさぎとちびうさに持ち運んだケーキ) Fans of anime often celebrate the birthday of their favorite character like they would that of a close friend. While this may seem strange to some, it is normal in Japan to walk into an anime goods store like Animate, and see massive panels dedicated to whatever popular character has a birthday that week. And on those panels are tons of birthday messages written by adoring fans. アニメのファンはよく好きなキャラクターの誕生日を友人のようにお祝いします。外から見ると変わってるだなと思う人もありますが、日本では普通に見る光景です。アニメグッズを発売する店のアニメイト店舗に入ると人気のキャラクターのバースデーパネルがドンと目に入ります。そして、そのパネルに多くのファンの情熱的なメッセージが数多く飾っています。 June 30th is the birthday of the main characters of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Usagi Tsukino and Chibiusa. On this day in 2016, a special event was held for around 400 lucky members of the Sailor Moon fanclub. (Part of the event was broadcast on Nico Nico Douga™) Just like other characters, adoring fans celebrate Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon’s birthdays year after year. The one thing that is different from other characters is that their birthdays have been celebrated for almost 25 years! That’s right, Sailor Moon made its debut in manga form in 1992. ６月３０日は美少女戦士セーラームーンの主人公である月野うさぎちゃんと娘のちび宇佐ちゃんの誕生日です。２０１６年のこの日にPrettyGuardians(セーラームーンの期間限定の公式ファンクラブ)から当選された４００名のファンが招待されたイベントが開催されました。(イベントの一部はニコニコ動画™に配信されました) 他のシリーズのキャラクタと同様にセーラームーンとセーラーちびムーンの誕生日はシリーズの大ファンによって毎年お祝いされています。一つ違う点はありますが、セーラームーンのキャラクターの誕生日は２５年近くに祝いされています。そうです。セーラームーンの漫画デビューは１９９２年でした。  Sailor Moon fans writing birthday messages (ファンが誕生日メッセージを書く) Sailor Moon is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. Now, you may think that strange since it started in 1992. Sailor Moon fans have been celebrating the official 20th anniversary since 2012. The 20th Anniversary Project got off to a slow start. A new animated series was announced in 2012 but various reasons caused it to have its debut delayed until the summer of 2014. セーラームーンは現在２０周年を記念しています。１９９２年始まりのシリーズが今でも２０周年だといったいどういうことでしょうかと思っている人がいると思います。確かにちょっとおかしいですね。セーラームーンのファンは２０１２年から２０周年を祝っています。２０周年プロジェクトのスタートが少し遅れていました。アニメの新シリーズは２０１２年に発表されましたが、オンエアはいろんな理由で２０１４年の夏にやっと始まりました。 Since the animation kept getting delayed, staff decided they needed something to keep fans interests. Musicals based on Sailor Moon ran for over 10 years from 1993 to 2005 and were called Seramyu by fans. Many fans were sad to see the musicals end, even those of us not living in Japan. So when a new musical series was announced starting in 2013, it was a dream come true for me. And for the staff, it was something to keep fans happy until the new animation finally started in the summer of 2014. アニメが何回も延期される中、スタッフがどうやってファンの興味を持ち続けると考えたでしょうか。以前セーラームーンのミュージカル(セラミュと呼ばれている)が１９９３年－２００５年の１２年間を上演されました。ミュージカルの幕が閉じるのは海外のファンでも寂しく思いました。新しいミュージカルが２０１３年に発表された時は自分見たいな海外出身のファンの夢が叶いました。スタッフにとってはＣｒｙｓｔａｌ（新アニメ）が始まるまでのファンの注目を引く物になりました。 Fast forward 3 years. Three musicals, three story arcs covered in the new animated series Sailor Moon Crystal. The original “new” cast of Seramyu graduated after the third musical and 5 new girls are ready to challenge the roles of the main cast. They made their stage and Nico Nico Douga™ debut on this day. ３年後。３作のミュージカルが上演されて、アニメのセーラームーンＣｒｙｓｔａｌの３シリーズが終わりました。２０１３年に始まってセラミュの“新”内部戦士の６名が３作品名を区切りに卒業されました。そして、新しい５名がメインキャストにチャレンジされることになりました。その５名のステージ＆ニコニコ動画™デビューは６月３０日のイベントに行いました。 After presenting the voice actresses for Sailor Moon and Chibimoon with the birthday cake you see above, the actresses introduced themselves and then performed two songs. One, “Speed of Light” will be a song in the 2016 musical. The other song was “Moonlight Densetsu”, the opening song of the original series that every fan can sing along to. The dance arrangement was different than what it had been for the previous three musicals and showcased the new actresses well. セーラームーンとセーラーちびムーンの声優さんにこの記事の最初に載せているケーキを持ち運んだ後、キャストの５名が自己紹介をして２曲連続歌いました。１曲目は２０１６秋に上演される新ミュージカルの”Speed of Light”でした。もう１曲はファンの誰もが一緒に歌える“ムーンライト伝説”(９０代のアニメのテーマ曲)でした。振付の数か所は明らかに前回のキャストと違って、新キャストの魅力をよく見せました。  Left to right: Venus – Rimo Hasegawa, Mars – Karen Kobayashi, Moon – Hotaru Nomoto, Mercury – Yume Takeuchi, Jupiter - Kaede (左から：ヴィーナス役：長谷川里桃、マーズ役：小林かれん、ムーン役：野本ほたる、マーキュリー役：竹内夢、ジュピター役：楓)
Sitting in the 4th row, I had a very good view of them. Overall, they made a good first impression. Karen is just as spacey as the previous actress of Mars was, Kaede plays a very strong Jupiter, Rimo looks and acts the part of Venus well, Yume is still quite nervous as she only recently took over the role of Mercury, Hotaru is… Well, Hotaru is the only one that I feel a little concerned about. She looks and sounds very mature, which is the opposite of Usagi’s character. However, she did just take on the role and her dancing and singing looked great. I am sure she will grow into the character by the musical’s premier in October. 私が当たった席は４列目で彼女たちをよく見れることができました。全体的にはいい印象を与えました。小林かれんちゃんは前回のマーズと同様な天然な子です。楓ちゃんは力を持っているジュピターです。長谷川里桃ちゃんのヴィーナスが結構似合います。竹内夢ちゃんはマーキュリー役のピンチヒッターでまだまだ緊張感はあるそうです。唯一心配するのは野本ほたるちゃんです。ルークスも声も大人っぽいし、月野うさぎの正反対です。ただし、キャラクター作りがまだだとしても踊りと歌が上手で驚きました。１０月の開幕までにキャラクター作りすればいいうさぎちゃんになるのは間違いなしです。 Before and after the Nico Nico Douga™ broadcast (as well as for the first half of the broadcast) the voice actresses for Usagi Tsukino and Chibiusa (Kotono Mitsuishi and Misato Fukuen) were joined on stage by Osabu(a nickname given by fans), the man who acted as editor of the Sailor Moon manga from the beginning. He is also one of the ones who has pushed through all the 20th Anniversary plans and for that fans are thankful. ニコニコ動画™配信の前後（または配信の一部）月野うさぎ役の三石琴乃さんとちびうさ役の福圓美里さんがおさぶさん（セーラームーン漫画が連載し始めたころからの編集担当のあだ名）と一緒にステージに上がりました。おさぶさんは２０周年プロジェクトに命をささげた者でファンは感謝しています。 The three of them talked at length about their experiences working on Sailor Moon. For Kotono, it was her first lead role as a young voice actress of 24 years old. She never imagined she would be acting the same character nearly 25 years later. Misato is an established voice actress who has been working since 2000, but she was still thrilled to take on a role in something as big as Sailor Moon. ３人は座ってセーラームーンにまつわる経験を語りました。三石さんにとって、セーラームーンが２４歳の若い声優時代にいただいた最初の主人公でした。まさか２５年後も同じ役目を果たすことになるのは想像できなかったです。福圓さんは２０００年デビューの声優ベテランです。ベテランの福圓さんでもセーラームーンに関わるのは本当に嬉しかったと語りました。  Although fans hoped there would be information about the next story arc of the animation, we were unfortunately disappointed. Neither Osabu nor the actresses know when or if a fourth series will happen, but with the ending of the third leaving everyone wanting more, they too hope that one will be realized. 全員のファンが心の中に望んだ新アニメの続きの発表は残念ながら発表されなかったです。おさぶさん達でも第４弾のシリーズがいつになるかはわからないですが、ファンと一緒に第３弾のエンディングを見て続きが欲しくなりましたところです。その望みが叶うように精一杯動力していると言いました。 For now, fans will have to wait. And now approaching 50, Kotono says she will need to do strength training if she is going to survive the 25th and maybe even the 30th anniversary of Sailor Moon. Don’t worry Kotono, I am sure it will continue to be celebrated for many more years. 今ファンができる事は一つだけです。待ちます。三石さんは５０歳に近づいているため、２５周年または３０周年記念を乗り越えるため“筋トレしないと”半分冗談につぶやきました。三石さん、ご安心してください。セーラームーンはきいとこれからも愛され続けます。 -Rin Rigoni All Photos @ Dwango & Nelke Planning. Used With Permission.  Kotono and Misato  Packed into the tiny-buy-lovely Q Pop Art Gallery, LA residents are being treated to a month-long tribute to the wonderful world of Showa Era manga art. Reaching from 1926 to 1989, the Showa Era gave birth to many of the most beloved manga of all time, such as Astro Boy, Lupin III, and Akira. The exhibit opened just last night (June 25th) and I attended to see what it was all about and get a nice little report out for anybody who might be interested! Upon entering the gallery, one of the first works you're met with is this adorable transparent Astro Boy:  "Visible Atomu" - Alex Kirwan Astro Boy is a very common theme, which isn't surprising considering the massive popularity the franchise has seen. My personal favorite piece of the entire exhibit is the Astro Boy x Blade Runner crossover, seen below.
 "Do Astro Boys Dream of Electric Kitties?" - Sean Danconia Some other popular series represented on the walls were Lupin III, Robokken Beeton, Osomatsu-kun, and (of course) Akira.  "Oden Akatsuka" - Sam King
 "Kaneda" - Keiko Murayama In addition to appreciating and purchasing the exhibited art, there were many other goods for sale around the gallery, such as vintage manga and themed merchandise.
All in all, this Showa Era tribute exhibit is a fantastic experience for fans of classic manga. There are some beautiful works of art on display, lovely merchandise available to buy, and Q Pop even set out some delicious complimentary snacks for exhibit guests. The Showa Era Vintage Manga Tribute Art Show is running at Q Pop in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, from June 25th to July 17th. Q Pop is located at 319 E. 2nd Street (Number 121), smack in the middle of the many Anime Jungle outlets. You can also like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or visit their Website. Q Pop is an incredible art gallery year-round, be sure to keep an eye out for future events! -Justin   A-To-J Connections recently stopped by Houston's Anime Matsuri and we were lucky enough to interview Hitomi of @home cafe who was attending the convention as a Guest of Honor as well as working at the event's maid cafe! Hitomi is president of @home cafe, the premiere maid cafe in Tokyo and the world over. She's served at @home cafe for eleven years and has also appeared in various media such as television and magazines. While dedicated to providing only the best customer services at @home cafe, she is also a talented singer and dancer. She was a member of the group "Kanzen Maid Sengen" made up of other maids from @home cafe as well as the dance unit "TEAM Junjo". In 2013 she became President of Infinia Co. Ltd. which manages @home cafe. A-To-J: アメリカを楽しんでますか？ A-To-J: Are you enjoying time in America? Hitomi: はい！今回、私初めてアメリカに来たんですよ。なのですごく毎日楽しいし、食事をするときも日本とはやっぱり違ったものが出てきたり、違った大きさなので、すごくそこが楽しいです！ Hitomi: Yes! This is my first time coming to America. I’m having fun every day. There’s food that is different from Japan here and the size is different too so it’s very fun! A-To-J: アメリカに来てから面白いものは食べましたか？ A-To-J: Have you eaten any interesting American food while you’ve been here? Hitomi: 実は「Anime Matsuri」のイベントが一日中長いのであんまり外に食べに行く機会がなかったんですけど、ヒューストンに着いて、ホテルの近くにあるすごく有名なステーキショップに連れてってもらったんですね。そしたらお肉の大きさが...！日本ってどちらかというとスライス分厚くってもこれぐらい（指で1cmぐらいを示す）なんですよ。こんなに分厚いお肉だったので（指で3cmぐらい示す）初めて食べてすごくおいしかったです。感動しました！ Hitomi: Actually, since Anime Matsuri is all day long, I haven’t had much of a chance to go out to eat. However, after I arrived in Houston I was taken to a famous steak shop near the hotel and then the size of the meat was...! In Japan, even if they say it’s thick slice, they mean about this much (she shows about 1cm with her fingers) but the meat here was this thick (shows about 3cm with her fingers) and it was my first time eating it. It was very delicious! I was amazed!  Publicity Still From Anime Matsuri Website A-To-J: 楽しいことする時間はありましたか？ A-To-J: Have you had time to do anything fun while you’ve been here? Hitomi: 「Anime Matsuri」でたくさんの人とお話できることが出来て、私自身、英語が本当に苦手で全然喋れないんですけど…でも来てくださるお客様にはすこしでもわかるように日本語で喋ってくれたりとか、簡単な英語で声をかけてくれたので私もすごくリラックスも出来ますし、身振り手振りで感情を伝えると喜んでくれるのでそこがすごく楽しくって嬉しいです。 Hitomi: I had a chance to talk to many people here at Anime Matsuri. Personally, I’m not very good at English and cannot speak it at all... However, there were many customers that came in and talked to me in Japanese or easy English so I could understand. It helped me relax and it made me very happy when they would get happy seeing me communicate my feelings with gestures. A-To-J: メイドカフェや萌え文化についてちょっと教えてください。 A-To-J: Can you tell us a bit about “maid cafes” and “Moe culture”? Hitomi: まず「@ほぉ～むカフェ」は東京の秋葉原で今ちょうど12年目で営業しているメイドカフェなんですけど、皆様が思う「メイド」ってやっぱり歴史的なメイドだったり個人宅にいるメイドを思い浮かべると思うんですけど、東京にある「メイドカフェ」というのはその「メイド」とはまた違って、カフェの中で働く女の子のことを指しています。衣装はこんな感じでメイド服なんですけど、お店がお屋敷って設定で、お屋敷にお客様が来るんじゃなくって、お客様がお屋敷に帰ってくる。ご主人様、お嬢様がお屋敷に帰ってくるというストーリーがあって、その中で接客をして、ご主人様、お嬢様に楽しんでもらっているお店です。 Hitomi: First of all, “@Home Café” is a maid café in Tokyo’s Akihabara which has been in the business for 12 years. The “maids” that everyone thinks of is historical or maids that would work in personal homes, but the “maid café” in Tokyo is different from those “maids”. In maid cafes “maid” describes a girl that works inside a café. The costume is like this and the setting is that the café is a mansion. It’s not that the customers come to visit the mansion but customers come home to the mansion. The story is that the master or the madam comes home to the mansion, then we offer service and it’s a store where the “master” and “madam” enjoy their time there. A=to-J: 「＠ほぉ～むカフェ」についても教えてください。 A-To-J: Can you tell us a bit about “@Home Café”? Hitomi: 今言ったことにちょっと似てしまうんですけど、＠ほぉ～むカフェは日本にあるカフェで一番有名なカフェだと思います。日本で流行語大賞が年に1回だけ発表されるんですけど、それに2005年に「萌え～」という言葉が受賞したんですけど、それは私たちが受賞させていただきました。それから日本ではすごく人気になりました。後、最近では海外からのご主人様、お嬢様がすごく多くって…だから外国人がたくさんいらっしゃるインターナショナルなメイドカフェになってきてると思います。 Hitomi: It’s a bit similar from what I just said but I believe that @Home Café is the most famous maid café. There is a yearly award for the most popular phrase in Japan and in 2005, the term “Moe~” (a term used for a kind of cute) received the award and we were the ones that received it. After that the phrase became popular in Japan. Also, recently there have been a lot of masters and madams from all over the world… So I think we are becoming an international maid café that has a lot of foreigners. A-To-J: Hitomiさんの＠ほぉ～むカフェでのお仕事を教えてください。 A-To-J: Can you tell us a bit about your job at @Home Café? Hitomi: 基本的にはウェイトレス業務をします。食事を運んだり、飲み物を持っていったり…ただ普通のカフェと違うのはそのお食事やお飲み物に「愛込め」という魔法があるんですよ！で、お食事やお飲み物をおいしくする魔法なんですけど、（手で）ハートマークを作って、「萌え萌えキュン！」という魔法があります！これをするとそのお食事がとってもおいしくなるんです。これは＠ほぉ～むカフェオリジナルの魔法です。 Hitomi: Basically, I do a lot of waitressing. I take the food and drinks to them… However, it’s different from a normal café and we have a magic spell called “Ai-kome” (putting in love) for the food and drinks. So this magic spell that makes the food and drinks delicious, you make a heart mark (with your hands) and say “Moe moe kyun!” (moe moe = cute, kyun = when your heart pounds) If you do this, then the food becomes very yummy. This is @Home Café’s original magic spell.  A-To-J: ＠ほぉ～むカフェでの一回のご帰宅のことを教えてください。 A-To-J: What does a typical visit at @Home Café consist of? Hitomi: まず、＠ほぉ～むカフェにご帰宅されたら私たち、メイドが、お出迎えをします。席までご案内したらメニュー説明をしてオーダーを伺います。それを私たちが持ってって、さっき言った「愛込め」をしておいしくします。それをご主人様、お嬢様が召し上がりしてる間に、いくつかアミューズメントをご用意してて、突発的に行われる「萌え萌えジャンケン大会」とか、後、私たちメイドが歌を歌ったりとか…後はメニューの中に「アミューズメントメニュー」としてメイドと世界でたった一枚だけの萌え萌えの記念撮影を撮ったり、ゲーム対戦でメイドと遊ぶことも出来ます。それで時間になりましたら、お出掛けしていただくということになっております。 Hitomi: First, when you come home to @Home Café, we, the maids, welcome you. After we take you to a table, we explain the menu and ask for your order. We take that order to you and we do the “Ai-kome”, as I described earlier, to the order to make it delicious. As the master or madam is eating we have different amusements prepared such as the “Moe moe Janken Contest” (Cute Rock Paper Scissors Contest) that happens suddenly or maids singing. Also there is an “Amusement Menu” where you get to take one photo that is one and only with the maids and you get to play games against the maids. After your time is up, then you leave the mansion. A-To-J: アメリカと日本のメイドカフェの違いはなんだと思いますか？ A-To-J: What are the differences between maid cafes in the US and in Japan? Hitomi: アメリカのメイドカフェにはまだ行ってないんですけど、今回この「Anime Matsuri」で一緒になったメイドさんたちがお給仕してるのを見て、日本とアメリカの違いというのは…まず日本ではご主人様が帰ってきたら、挨拶が「お帰りなさいませ、ご主人様、お嬢様」とお出迎えするんですね。でもアメリカでは「いらっしゃいませ」だったのでそこは違いがあるな、と感じました。メイド服に関しては結構アメリカのメイドカフェのみなさんは自由に自分の好きなメイド服を着てる人が多いなと思ったんですけど、日本のメイドカフェだったり、＠ほぉ～むカフェでは制服がお店ごとに決まっていて、オリジナルのメイド服をみんな着ています。そこが違うかな、って感じました。 Hitomi: I haven’t gone to an actual maid café in the US yet but after seeing maids work here at Anime Matsuri, the difference between Japan and America is… First of all, in Japan, when the master comes home, we greet them with “Welcome home, master, madam”. But in America, they greet customers with just “welcome” (instead of welcome home) so I felt a difference there. As for the maid outfits, in America, the maids where their own favorite maid outfits but in Japanese maid cafes or @Home Café, the maid outfits are already chosen as uniforms within the café so they wear that café’s original maid uniform. I felt a difference there too. A-To-J: 世界中のメイドカフェをやっている、勤めている人にアドバイスはありますか？ A-To-J: What advice can you give to people that are running or working at maid cafes around the world? Hitomi: 日本の言葉で「好きこそ物の上手なれ」って言葉があるんですけど、それと同じようにメイドさんという職業を自分が愛せて自分が大好きならメイドという職業を全うできると思います。 HItomi: In Japan, there is a phrase “What one likes, one will do well”. Similar to that, if you love the job of being a maid and like being a maid, I think you can immerse yourself into the maid job. A-To-J: メイドカフェで働いてて一番好きなことは？ A-To-J: What is your favorite part about working at a maid café? Hitomi: やっぱりご主人様、お嬢様が私たちがしたアクションやサービスに対してすごく喜んでくれたり、笑顔を見せてくれることが嬉しいです。 Hitomi: I get really happy when the masters and madams enjoy our actions and services and show us their smiles. A-To-J: 着ている衣装やアクセサリーのことを教えてください。 A-To-J: Can you tell us about your outfit and accessories? Hitomi: はい！これが＠ほぉ～むカフェのメイド服なんですけど、＠ほぉ～むカフェでは茶色と白とピンクを基調にしています。これがテーマカラーになっているんですけど、日本のお菓子でアポロチョコレートというかわいいチョコがあるんですけど、それを少しイメージさせるような甘いスイートな感じになっています！後はこの胸元のリボンやアクセサリーに関しては、私は自分のキャラクターでピンクが大好きなキャラクターなので、すべてピンクで統一しています。でもメイドさんによっては胸元のリボンがブルーの子や、イエローの子や、レッドの子…いろんな自分のテーマカラーを持ってるメイドさんがたくさんいます。 Hitomi: Yes! This is @Home Café’s maid uniform and the main colors are brown, white and pink at @Home Café. These are our theme colors. There are cute chocolates called “Apollo Chocolate” in Japan and our colors slightly reflect the image of it which is a sweet image. As for the ribbon on my chest and the accessories, they are all pink because the character I play loves pink. However there are maids that have the chest ribbon color as blue, yellow, red… There are many maids with their own theme colors. A-To-J: あなたの音楽活動やライブのことを教えてください。 A-To-J: Can you tell us a bit about your musical performances? Hitomi: ＠ほぉ～むカフェでは実はオリジナルソングが200曲以上あるんですよ！なので、私たちメイドは普段からそのお歌の練習などをしていてご主人様がご帰宅したときにステージでお歌のご奉仕というのもさせていただいていて、メイドさんの一日を歌った曲とかメイドさんの恋する気持ちとか…メイドに関する曲がたくさんあるので、是非聴いてほしいです！ Hitomi: At @Home Café, there are actually over 200 songs! So we have to practice these songs frequently. When the master comes home, we perform the songs for them on stage. There is a song about the day of a maid or a song about feelings of love of a maid… There are a lot of songs about the maids so please listen to them! A-To-J: ＠ほぉ～むカフェの食べ物のメニューから一番好きなものは？ A-To-J: What is your favorite food item from the menu from @Home Cafe? Hitomi: うーん、そうですね、たくさんあって一番、＠ほぉ～むカフェで人気のメニューは「ぴぴよぴよぴよ ひよこさんライス」というのがあって、オムライスなんですね。たぶん海外にはオムライスというのはなくって日本食って言われるんですけど、ケチャップライスの上にオムレツがのってます。そのオムレツをご主人様の前でパカッと開くんですよ。で、その上にケチャップを使ってご主人様お嬢様のリクエストに答えてイラストを描きます。それはすごく人気だし、私も描いててすごく楽しいです！ Hitomi: Hmm… there are many but the most popular item at @Home Café is “Pipiyo Piyopiyo Hiyoko-san Rice” (Peep peep peep Chick Rice) and it’s an “omurice”. I think they don’t have “omurice” overseas and we get told that it is a Japanese dish. There is ketchup rice and an omelet on top of it. We open the omelet in front of the master. On top of that we use ketchup to draw anything that the master or madam requests. It’s very popular and its fun drawing on the omurice! A-To-J: 最後にメイドカフェファンにメッセージをお願いします。 A-To-J: Do you have any final words to maid café fans around the world? Hitomi: 私は今回、東京の秋葉原から来たんですけども、ここヒューストンにもメイド服を着て、メイドさんがいたことがすごく嬉しかったです。なのでこれからも世界中にメイドさんが増えることを心より願っていますし、いつかまたヒューストンに着て、メイドさんたちと一緒にお給仕したいな、と思います！ Hitomi: I came from Tokyo’s Akihabara and I was very happy to see there were maids wearing maid outfits here in Houston. So I really wish from the bottom of my heart that there will be more maids around the world. I want to come back to Houston again someday and work with the maids! The above interview was conducted by Manuel Figueroa and Tiffany Fujii, who also provided on-site and post translation. For More Information: Website: http://www.cafe-athome.com/en/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/athome_cafe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/at.homecafe.jp  |
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