Matt Schley
May 5, 2014 
Here’s a followup on a story we reported earlier this year about a new rule set up in Akihabara, Tokyo’s capital for maid cafes.
The new rule, set up by the local government of Chiyoda Ward, where Akihabara is located, forbids promoting “JK sanpo,” that is, paying to take walks with high school-aged girls. At the time, we wondered whether the crackdown on JK sanpo would affect maid cafes, which use similar promotional techniques and might be lumped in with the rule.
With the new regulation now in place for over a month, the affect has been minimal at best. Kyakuhiki, the practice of enticing potential customers on the street, is alive and well, as is the practice of JK sanpo, according to Tokyo Reporter, the internet’s finest source for news about Japan’s seedy underbelly.
One factor in the ineffectiveness of the regulation is its lack of teeth. If businesses are found violating the regulation, there’s virtually nothing in the way of repercussion, making the rule “laughable” according to the Tokyo Reporter article.
So for now, at least, it’s business as usual in Akiba.
Source: Tokyo Reporter (may be unsuitable for readers under 18)
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