On Sunday March 27, 2011, Akihabara style maids hosted games, served Brazilian food and performed live music shows to raise donations to support Japan after the recent earthquake and tsunami. The "Pray for Japan" Japanese Maid Cafe Experience Charity Show was held at the Senzala restaurant in Sunnyvale, California.

maid cafe photos

music show photos

auction photos

The event was organized by the maids themselves, led by Yukie Dong, Yomimaid and Head Maid Jun-chan. Most of the maids are also maids at the FanimeCon Fanimaid Cafe maid cafe. Community discussion before and after the event took place on the Facebook event page.

game photos

maid introduction photos

crowd photos

After connecting with Stu Levy, the CEO of TokyoPop, the maids decided that the money they raised would go to JEN (Japan Emergency Network). Mr. Levy was volunteering with JEN in Sendai where the tsunami struck. He provided a first hand report on the challenges faced by victims and the assistance JEN is providing. While the pictures here capture the cuteness and fun of the event, they fail to capture the strong, serious feeling of support amongst both the organizers and attendees for those affected by the disaster.