More new things in Tokyo

Two more new places to visit in Tokyo:

Dunhill opened a new flagship store called "Home" in Ginza on 1 December. It also plans to open the same concept store in London and Shanghai, but Tokyo's store was chosen as the first to open. The store houses not only Dunhill men's boutique but also a barber and a bar lounge The Aquarium, which serves lunch and afternoon tea as well (open from 11 to 24 Mon to Sat, 11 to 22 on Sun). (All the photos linked are from Excite Ism's article on December 6, 2007.)

In Akihabara, Akiba Guild, a casino with female dealers in French maid costume, was opened last September. "Maid dealders" are actually professional as the owner of Akiba Guild, a professional casion dealer, trains them. As gambling is prohibited in Japan, you cannot earn money at Akiba Guild, but you can keep coins you earned for the next visits. And, most importantly for guys in Akihabara, you can enjoy conversations with a maid who is the casino dealer, a lot more frequently than at maid cafes. And these maid dealers all run a blog that's linked from the store website. (Hat tip for a Nikkei BizPlus article by Takuro Morinaga on November 27, 2007.)