While perusing Japanese restaurant website Tabelog recently, I came across a little cafe in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, called Pink Pussy. Quite what it was I don’t know, but something about the place really appealed to me so I hopped on a train over there. It was a bit of a journey but I’ve traveled farther to get some, and you can’t put a price on a good cup of coffee.
However, when I arrived I was shocked to find that Pink Pussy had been put up for sale.
■ Strange, quiet, and embarrassing
On Tabelog, Pink Pussy had received a three-star rating (out of five) from those who had paid it a visit.
It was a bit of a low rating, and the site showed some quaint pictures of the place along with some of the dishes including cabbage rolls and salad. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was somewhere I needed to be. Here are some of the comments.
“Alcohol is available. The counter seats had a chic bar feeling but the tables were like a restaurant. It was a strange and quiet place. We really wanted to ask about the name but the place was so quiet we felt too embarrassed to.”
“I had a little trouble finding my way in. Despite the blackboard menu sitting outside there was a white door next to a white wall. It would be good for a group of women or a family to go to. I think men might be too embarrassed to go in but they do have alcohol. Maybe at night its a different atmosphere.”
Checking on Google Street View it was difficult to get a good look at the place. Apparently even the Google car was too embarrassed to hang around taking pictures of the place for too long.
I resolved that I’d have to go down and get a good look at this myself.
■ Welcome to Takarazuka!
Takarazuka is famous in Japan for its all-female theatre troupe, the Takarazuka Revue. After arriving at the station I strolled past the fancifully decorated theatre district and checked out what was showing. There was a something about pirates and a dramatic recreation of the French Revolution among other productions cast entirely by women.
▼ Call me crazy but I suspect the real homicidal Chicago mob boss would have approved about this Japanese-woman musical revue of his life.
The whole town had a womanly vibe to it. Sure there were lots of guys walking around the rainy street, but the whole layout of the streets had a feminine elegance.
It was a nice place for a stroll, but I had work to do.
■ Who’s buying?
I crossed the river and climbed the short hill to the location of the cafe. A small storm had blown in and things were getting dark and wet. Then, in the distance it slowly emerged.
However, what I saw shook me to the core: the Pink Pussy was closed! It was like high school all over again.
The front of the shop was stripped bare and a “for sale” sign sat in the window and on an adjacent flag. I placed a call to the number on the sign to be sure it hadn’t just changed location, but no, Pink Pussy had folded.
I stood there staring forlornly at the beads of moisture running down the sign for so long that passing people and motorists started giving me suspicious looks. Denied entry there was nothing left to do but get back on the train and go home. It was a defeat for me but perhaps this story will do some good after all.
Maybe, some prospective entrepreneur would be interested it opening Pink Pussy for business again. Or at the very least they could get in contact with the original owner and ask why they named it that in the first place.
▼ If you’re interested in buying Pink Pussy, here’s the realtor information.
Source: Tabelog (Japanese)
Photos © RocketNews24
▼ The place does get a lot of traffic.
