The shy characters move into Akihabara's longest-running maid cafe for a 78-day residency
Sumikko Gurashi, San-X's property built around characters who prefer corners, has been running a collaboration residency at the @Home maid cafe on the 5th floor of AKIBA Culture Zone since May 15, 2026. The collab continues through July 31, giving visitors about two weeks left to catch it before the Osaka edition takes over in August. @Home is the longest-established maid cafe brand in Akihabara, and the pairing is more deliberate than it first looks: the Sumikko characters are canonically shy, and the maid cafe format already caters to customers who want to be welcomed without being overwhelmed.
The cafe is decorated with Sumikko Gurashi visuals throughout, the staff wear original collaboration costumes, and both food and goods are event-exclusive. The menu runs across three food items, three dessert items, and seven drink items, with novelty bonuses handed out with each order.
Menu and novelty structure
Each ordered item comes with a novelty specific to that dish, which means a typical visit will collect several pieces if you order a food, a dessert, and a drink. San-X has confirmed the menu features 13 items total split across food (3), dessert (3), and drink (7), though exact pricing per item varies. Based on @Home's standard collab pricing, expect food and dessert items to sit between 1,500 and 2,500 yen, with drinks priced separately. Novelty distribution continues while stocks last, which is the standard caveat for any maid cafe collab in Akihabara.
Where the goods drop
The collaboration goods are sold through three channels. The @Home shop inside AKIBA Culture Zone opens sales at noon on May 15, the same day the cafe opened. The @Home web shop goes live at the same time, so you do not need to be in Akihabara to buy the goods. The San-X net shop starts one week later on May 22 at 10:00. Six plush mascot designs are scheduled for a later release, with exact dates to be confirmed on San-X's official channels.
The @Home Akihabara cafe is on the 5th floor of AKIBA Culture Zone, a short walk from Akihabara Station. The building is one of the main otaku retail anchors on the Electric Town side, and the floor has several other collaboration cafes running in parallel, so it is worth checking what else is on when you visit. After the Tokyo run ends on July 31, the collab moves to Osaka, opening at the @Home Osaka main store on August 7 and running through September 14.
Practical Details
- Dates: May 15 to July 31, 2026 (Tokyo edition)
- Venue: @Home maid cafe AKIBA Culture Zone Store R, 5F AKIBA Culture Zone, 1-7-6 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Nearest station: JR Akihabara Station, Electric Town exit (3-minute walk)
- Menu price range: approximately 1,500-2,500 yen per food/dessert item, drinks priced separately
- Goods on sale: @Home Shop Akihabara (from May 15 noon), @Home web shop, San-X net shop (from May 22 10:00)
- After Tokyo: Osaka edition August 7 to September 14 at @Home Osaka main store
- Website: @Home official collab page
- San-X page: San-X official blog
