Akiba Zettai Ryoiki A.D. 2045—AKA the "cyberpunk maid cafe”

I visited Akiba Zettai Ryoiki A.D. 2045 to see what flavor of cyberpunk they were dishing out.

Source: PRTimes. For privacy reasons, I avoided taking any pictures that would include other customers.

This is a futuristic offshoot of the Akiba Zettai Ryoiki maid cafe chain. Zettai Ryoiki translates to “absolute territory,” and refers to the area of bare skin shown between the bottom of a skirt and the top of thigh-high stockings/socks. According to Wikipedia, the best zettai ryōiki ratio for the length of the miniskirt, the exposed thigh, and the over-knee part of the socks is 4:1:2.5, with a tolerance of 25%. Math, gotta love it.

Akiba Zettai Ryoiki A.D. 2045 is located a minute walk from Akihabara Station, the heart of Tokyo’s anime and electronics and electronic anime scene. Tucked at the top of some unassuming stairs that look more like a fire exit, the outside was less splashy than I expected. Maybe the buzz has faded since it opened in early 2019.

Upon entering, I was struck by how small the place was. Maybe fifteen—or twenty really friendly—people could squeeze in. Considering the cramped, overcrowded dystopian megacities of the cyberpunk genre, this kind of fits.

Mascot character, Nia Shinomiya. I think having a mascot is some kind of legal requirement in Japan. Compare to the live action version below.

Source: PR Times. This pic has been beautified and, more importantly, does not clearly show the cat ears.

As per usual maid cafe procedure, a cute girl in a derivation of a Victorian maid outfit took us to a table. This one included cat ears, and for a reason! The lore of Akiba Zettai Ryoiki A.D. 2045 has something to do with engineered cat people creating a mini-utopia where their job is to please human guests. Not exactly Akira levels of badassery, but a cat’s scratch can be pretty painful.

Piping, neon, and geometric shapes decorated the space, looking like the cyberpunk aesthetic got run through an Easter egg factory. Pastel for days, is what I’m saying. There’s a stage where the maids/waitress dance and sing, and where you can take pictures of/with them, all for an extra fee.

Me, trying unsuccessfully to blend in with the locals.

Quick snaps I took of the interior. That is the smile of a maniac, no doubt.

The maids took our order, teaching us the correct gestures to use (hearts, cat paws, that kind of thing). They were friendly and did their best to use English. As we ate our sugar explosion parfait, we people watched. The other guests were all Japanese dudes, some smoking and taking it in like tourists, and others who appeared really into the super-cutesy childish behavior of the maids.

Our strawberry injected parfait.

Maid cafe’s are a unique experience, and should you be in Japan, I’d recommend at least one visit. It doesn't have to be Akiba Zettai Ryoiki A.D. 2045 though.

Nathaniel Henderson is an author currently working on a post-post apocalyptic sci-fi book series. For updates and exclusive content, sign up for his newsletter.