Photo/Illutration The cat named Tarokichi skillfully opens the "soba" noodle shop’s sliding door in Aki, Kochi Prefecture, on Aug. 23. (Masatoshi Kasahara)

AKI, Kochi Prefecture—A roguish local cat has been making headlines for his dramatic entrances at a noodle shop with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean here.

This saucy feline burglar regularly stands on his hind legs, nimbly slides the restaurant’s front door open with his paws and walks right into the shop—much to the astonishment of the customers.

“The cat has a face like a thief wearing a headscarf,” said Yachiyo Doi, 77, who runs the “soba” shop Oyama Chaya with her daughter Yuko Misaki, 48.

They named the cat Tarokichi after the legendary thief Nezumi Kozo Jirokichi, a Robin Hood-like figure said to steal from the rich and give to the poor.

Tarokichi had been lounging around the restaurant’s parking lot and along the roadside on sunny days for about a year and a half.

This spring, Tarokichi suddenly appeared inside the shop for the first time.

Doi initially thought “maybe the door had been left open” and she took Tarokichi back outside immediately.

But soon enough, the cat began entering the shop almost every day.

When the women watched closely to see how the animal was getting in, they noticed a shadow of a cat outside the sliding door.

Tarokichi then braced himself with his hind legs, leaned against the door, and skillfully opened it with his front paws.

“I was surprised to see him use his balance and body weight so effectively to open the door and walk in,” said Misaki.

The shop used to have a female mascot cat named Kobi.

Kobi would often rub her body up against customers’ legs and sometimes greeted them with a playful swipe.

Her charming presence was featured in newspapers and on TV, and she attracted fans from all over the country.

Kobi passed away due to illness in the spring two years ago.

Even now, when Tarokichi opens the door and walks in, Misaki gently picks him up and takes him back outside.

Gradually, though, Tarokichi’s mischievous antics have begun to remind her of Kobi.

“When I see his playful behavior, I start to feel like he might become Kobi’s successor as our mascot cat,” Doi said. “Maybe he is just learning the ropes now.”

The two women said, “If he becomes the new mascot, we hope Tarokichi will steal the hearts of our customers.”

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