An idol cafe in Akiba formerly known as AKIBA Tenkyuu, is now reopening as Idol Station and will be holding an audition on 12/19/09 to choose their special "idol employee". The grand winner will be cast in Nintendo DS's television commercial for When They Cry Vol.4. Okay, that sounds exciting enough, but what in the world is an "idol cafe"? I read through their website and here's how they explain it:

The customers of the cafe are considered "producers." So, as producers, they are asked to think of the girls who work there as future idols and are expected to treat them as one. Once you become a "special producer" (the website didn't offer details on how to achieve that status), you can dress the girls in assigned costumes, have them perform on stage, and be included in the team that produces their original songs. Basically, the cafe claims to be the support group for the girls who want to become an idol.

I don't know...it looks and sounds like another dating service to me, but this cafe apparently succeeded in producing a real idol, Shoko Maejima. I'll check their website later to see who the grand "idol employee" of the year is.