Ikea Tokyo Bay on a rainy weekend day looks like this, except indoors amidst showrooms. We arrived at the garage at 10:05am, and there was already a line with what looked like a hundred people waiting to enter. Ten minutes later, however, the line had subsided and we were able to get in quickly.
Once inside, we realized the true extent of our miscalculation. As one of the largest Ikeas in Japan, we thought it would be large enough to absorb the predictably large crowds. But we underestimated (1) the size of the crowds, (2) how much people think alike, and (3) how much people with kids think alike. It seemed like everyone, particularly families with young kids, had planned to arrive upon opening at 10am. The crowd moved us forward, shuffle by shuffle, through showroom after showroom. There was no looking at a map to find the department you wanted to go to first. Also, all 2-5 year olds sound alike when they say "mama!" I responded to at least two other kids who were not mine.
By 10:55am, I panicked and decided to get an early lunch to beat the lunch crowd. What I learned was that you can't beat crowds in Tokyo, and especially not an Ikea in Tokyo. It did get more crowded later, but even at 11am, it was hard to find a lunch table.
Now the part I had been waiting for - lunch. I love a good Ikea lunch and was excited to try the different menu items here. We had karaage (Japanese fried chicken), curry, plant-based lasagna, and rotisserie chicken with potatoes. There were also seasonal strawberry-themed desserts such as strawberry mousse, strawberry mont-blanc, and strawberry tart. Interestingly, they offered non-alcoholic beer, which is more popular here than in the U.S.
There was also an extensive bakery section with waffles, croissants, muffins, and rolls.
Time to put away our used trays and dishes:
This made me sweat. Instead of placing your tray of used dishes and discards on a tray cart, you instead line up to properly dispose of your discards yourself. I approve of this very much, yet it made me very frazzled because there are a lot of disposal categories that I can't read. And there is a line of people behind me, counting on me to do this as quickly as possible. What you do is place items in the correct bin and everything else on the conveyor belt.
With lunch out of the way, we aimed to get our shopping done. What I needed were three plastic bibs for M's daycare, a print frame, some craft supplies for E, and a small trash bin for the bathroom. We found all those things, but of course, we found random things as well, like this:
To reward E for her patience, I got her a soft serve cone, which mercifully is mini-sized in Japan.
I had wanted to check out the food mart but had no more energy left by the time we got through check-out. I did see that they sold some similar food things but also a lot of different ones. Another time.
There you have it, Ikea Tokyo Bay on a rainy weekend day. It was thrilling, but I hope to return for some more exploring on a less crazy weekday.
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