Lalaport grand re-opening

After almost a year of construction, Lalaport Tokyo Bay reopened the West wing. For the most part, the stores are the same with a few notable new shops like Zara. But the big news is the new restaurant expansion on the 4th floor.

With large chain expansions like Monsoon Cafe, Kua'aina, and Sumire Ramen, the new 4th floor is a huge hit with me. Additionally, they have a new gelato store with great Cream and Chocolate Chip and Tiramisu flavors. There is a Chinese buffet, udon shop, Korean restaurant, tonkatsu shop, Okinawan restaurant, Japanified-Western-style hamburger shop, and even a huge sushi restaurant. We are going to be busy trying out all the places, for sure.

The store I'm most interested in is Sumire Ramen. This import from Hokkaido is one of the top ramen shops in Japan. They have their own line of cook-at-home ramen products and actual restaurants are few and far between. This is the first one in Chiba, and the second in Kanto (there was a small one in the Yokohama Ramen Museum, but it closed. There is one still remaining in Kawasaki). The problem is that the line to get in is at least 20 minutes long. That was when we went yesterday. Around 4:00pm, the line dwindled out, but by that time I was stuffed with Kua'aina gourmet hamburgers (mine and half of my wife's). Next time, Sumire. Next time.