A Cafe That’s a Mecca for Car Lovers

Just before lunch today, my husband asked, “There’s a custom leather driving-glove shop setting up at Cafe Seven—a cafe that’s a mecca for car lovers—just for this weekend. Want to go?” (This is what he meant↓)

“Cafe Seven is in Tsukigase, so we can enjoy a drive around the area, too. We can even take the Nara Nürburgring route (a road nicknamed after Germany’s Nürburgring).”

Hmm… We’d have to shop for lunch, get the girls ready, and then hit the road, which would take a while. But the weather was beautiful, so I said, “All right, let’s go!” We got ready as quickly as we could and set off just after 1 p.m.

Since we were making the trip (why not?), we took both the Boxster and the Panamera.

Using FaceTime as a Walkie-Talkie

“This is a good time to use FaceTime. If we stay on a call while we drive, it works like a walkie-talkie.” So we plugged our phones into the car chargers and started a FaceTime call with each other.

It turned out to be pretty handy. We could check in with each other along the way, saying things like, “Let’s stop for gas,” or “Turn left at the next light.”

(It was fun getting to watch the Boxster’s top open from directly behind it, too! haha)

I never realized FaceTime could be used this way—it was so convenient. We did lose the signal twice in areas of the mountain road with no reception, but otherwise, it worked without a hitch.

At Last, Cafe Seven

Traffic on the Hanshin Expressway slowed us down, but we arrived in just under two hours from home.

(It’s about a kilometer from Tsukigase Station on the JR line.)

There were a few narrow stretches along the way, but the road was plenty wide enough for the Panamera. When we arrived, the place was packed. It really did feel like a mecca for car lovers—and there were sports cars everywhere.

I took lots of Porsche photos, so I’ll share them on the blog in a later post, along with a look at the cars that showed up.

Inside the Cafe

Here’s what the entrance looked like:

A friendly staff member showed us to our seats. Bringing the kids along didn’t seem to be a problem at all. What’s more, juice was free for children (I can’t remember the age limit…), so my daughter ordered orange juice. Each table also had a sheet like this:



That’s impressive—it must have built its following through word of mouth and social media. Cameras and car magazines were stylishly arranged beside the tables.

The cafe also sold pin badges, miniature cars, stickers, and other goods. For some reason, the girls absolutely loved the Volkswagen pin badges and bought some. haha

The Main Reason for Our Visit

After taking a break at the cafe, it was time for the main event: shopping for leather driving gloves. The CACAZAN booth was set up at the back of the grounds.

There were lots of styles to choose from, and the staff seemed happy to offer thoughtful advice. One thing they told my husband was that before ordering custom leather gloves, it’s worth doing some research and deciding on the design you want. What color should the stitching be? Velcro or buttons? They suggested trying a ready-made pair and looking at other options before placing a custom order. So he bought a pair to try out first.

After driving in them, he said, “They fit the steering wheel well, and my hand doesn’t slip when I’m holding the gear lever. They’re pretty good.”

Home via the Nara Nürburgring Route

On the way home, we took the road known as the Nara Nürburgring route. Driving it in Sport mode was a real pleasure—the road was in great condition, too. When I looked back, the girls were completely out cold. haha

There must be plenty more great roads to discover in Kansai. I’d love to go back. As for my own souvenir, I picked up a Porsche pin badge.

(It looks a little fake, somehow, haha.)

It’s cute, so I’m going to put it on my bag right away.

After we got home, I looked up Cafe Seven and found its Facebook page:
■ Cafe Seven Facebook page

If you’re in the Kansai area, I’d recommend stopping by. It’s a fun place to see all kinds of sports cars and supercars.