Opening on May 15, the American casual fashion shop “RAT★RACE” is relocating to a new spot in Shukugawa along Koshikiiwasuji, so we went to the preview party before the grand opening.
There’s that famous Nishinomiya rat～～～!! If you head down this road…
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 7-13 Otani-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
It kind of feels like an amusement park…
There’s even a shrine～～We’re planning to write about the story behind this shrine another day
Wait, is that?!
Yep, the Statue of Liberty is here～. I thought you could only find her in Amerikamura lol
That RAT★RACE has now opened in Shukugawa, in Otani-cho～. By the way, you can see it from the Shukugawa Green Place parking lot
It opens May 15!
The place was seriously buzzing!
From the left: former K-1 fighter Tsuyoshi Nakasako, RAT★RACE owner Naohisa Ogawa, Yoshimoto comedian Takahashi from Hebi Ichigo, and former world champion pro boxer Nobuhiro Ishida were all there, raising a toast～.
So many congratulatory autographs from celebrities already, in such a short time!
They’re still selling Ratty (RAT★RACE T-shirts), bags, sneakers, and more, just like before～
This torii gate design with “Shukugawa” written on it is really cool, isn’t it? Back view
Here’s what the black front-facing version looks like! I’ll be wandering around in this all summer～
This mug has a torii gate on it too～
The Stars and Stripes, dollar bills, clocks, and all that super American style blend with the Japanese house, and it creates such a great atmosphere.
That spinning fan thing on the ceiling is stylish too～
It also seems to be a self-service cafe space that serves as a gathering place for RAT★RACE fans.
Starting from the opening on 5/15, they’ll be selling hot dogs and hot sandwiches～. They can’t handle rush orders, so please take it easy and wait leisurely～
The Pon Juice feels so out of place lol
Anyway, the items they have are just way too cool.
The drinks at the preview party were being chilled like this～
This Orion WATTA drink was really good. Does anyone know where it’s sold? It was super popular～
Oh? There’s a second floor too. Wonder what’s up there. Also, the stairs are cool～
It turned out to be a space where they can hold rakugo performances～～
When you go down the stairs, lots of little rat friends are hiding around lol
Oh, there’s something interesting-looking in the back～
It’s an outdoor space～. There are lots of nostalgic toys, like ones from Toy Story. You can use this area as a cafe. Apparently this place is called RAT★BASE～
The new RAT★RACE opens on May 15! Business hours are 11:00 to 18:00. Closed on Tuesdays～.
