Letter From Tokyo: Where Japanese Women Rule

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But while the cakes are delicious, the appeal for regular clients is clearly in the service. Swallowtail gives otome a chance to act out their fantasies--say, to be a princess with a footman for teatime--but there may be something even more basic behind its success. Tokyo is a hard town, and it can be even harder for women. Under pressure to conform and marry--which often means surrendering much of their independence--they face a daily battle against the sexism that still pervades Japan, where fewer than 10% of corporate managers are female. The butler café may be to otome what the local bar is to the old company man, a place to unwind from the pressures of the outside world--and where the only members of the opposite sex are literally at your service.

As for me, I could get used to having a footman on call. Not long after I finished my Macbeth (is this a cream scone I see before me?), Saionji appears. "Mademoiselle, your coach awaits," he says to my dining companion--the signal that our 80 minutes are up. We step through the open door and flag down our coach on the Tokyo street.