Nakai (vocation)

A nakai (仲居) is a woman who serves as a waitress at a ryokan or Japanese inn.

Originally written as nakai (中居) (meaning "in the house" in Japanese), which meant the anteroom in a mansion of a kuge (noble man) or gomonzeki (the princess of Mikado).

Nowadays it refers to work in a butler's pantry, homemaking sector, or the managing division and its office staff.

At Kyuchu (the Imperial Court), such women were also named osue.

Now it means women who serve visitors in restaurants or inns.