A Tokimemo Cafe opened in Harajuku in 2005. Donny and I went to investigate on 4/15 for lunch (at around 12:40). Report by Donny Chan, minor updates by Hitoshi Doi (unfortunately photos not allowed inside the store)

The Tokimemo Cafe Ecole ("School" en francais/in French) was on 3F in a building without any big, overt Tokimemo sign outside the building, except one or two white boards at the building entrances. It's right outside of Harajuku Station, so it's easy to get to.

In the cafe, the restaurant area had two kinds of tables: regular square tables, and school desks. Under each square table, but not the school desk, were a power bar and a ethernet hub. Clockwise from, or right of, the cafe entrance, along the windows side of the cafe were a long counter with a few computer terminals.

At the inside end of the counter, or far corner of the cafe, were a few Tokimemo heroines' cardboard stands. (Two Shiori, Miharu, Saki, Ayako.) There were also a couple of the lifesized dolls (hidden in the back).
(I sat with my back towards the stands, and.. I felt their presence. - Donny)
(The two Shiori stands are different from the one I have.. - H.Doi)

Beside the entrances of the toilets were a bookshelf, with MMORPG mags and Tokimemo mooks and strategy guides. Beside the bookshelf was a room with a synthesiser and recording-studio equipment. Taped onto the room window were Tokimemo cast and staff's autograph cards.

Right of the room is the wall side of the cafe, where desks and tables would be removed during events. A ceiling-mounted projector, well, projected Tokimemo 2 illusts or OP anime onto the wall, as the cafe staff didn't pull down the wall-mounted screen. At the wall-side corner was a blackboard, fully written with news of forthcoming events. Right of the blackboard was a corkboard with samples of Tokimemo goods that the cafe sold, such as cell phone straps and coasters.

Counter-clockwise from, or left of, the cafe entrance was the cashier and kitchen.

To read the books from the bookshelf, or use the computer terminals, a customer must register (name, e-mail address, and DOB) and pay 300 Yen for a student card.
(I'm #1026. - Donny)

A female customer may rent a Tokimemo school uniform for (IIRC) 1,000 Yen per hour. OTOH, no rental uniforms for male customers.

The cafe staff included two waitresses and a cook, but the waitresses wore the TMO (Tokimemo Online) boys' school uniforms. Pants, not skirts.

Food prices were reasonable, IMO. One curry rice or pasta was 850 Yen. But I had a coupon printed out from the Ecole HP that gave each of us a free drink. My spaghetti was set as a koala face, with two half-pieces of bread as the ears, the sauce as the eyes, a Korokke (croquette, fried potato) as the nose, and lettuce as the mouth.

After a customer collects 20 stamps on his student card, the awards are (IIRC) a drink, or a mouse pad, or a two-shot photo with a waitress.

One of the pamphlets from beside the entrance was about the Tokimemo official fan club. 1,000 Yen registration fee, 4,000 Yen annual fee. One advantage was if a member already had a Tokimemo private fan club, Konami would endorse the fan club.

similar web pages