Kani O opens extra‑expensive ramen Taito

Kani O, a new ramen shop in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, drew an early line on Saturday even as debate over its prices spread online. SoraNews24 reported that nearly a dozen people were waiting about 20 minutes before opening at the Asakusa restaurant on May 24. The outlet said the shop has become a talking point because its ramen starts at 2,000 yen, a price well above what many customers still associate with an everyday bowl in Japan. The shop began serving customers on May 4, according to SoraNews24. ### Where is Kani O, and when did it start serving customers? Asakusa, a neighborhood in Tokyo’s Taito Ward, is where Kani O opened its doors this month. SoraNews24 said the restaurant started serving customers on May 4 and described it as a new ramen shop in the district. A separate YouTube listing for the shop identified the address as 2-22-8 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, in the Tanaka Building. (soranews24.com) May 24 was the date of SoraNews24’s on-the-ground visit. The report said people were already queued outside before opening, offering an early sign that curiosity about the restaurant was translating into foot traffic as well as online discussion. ### Why are people arguing about the price? Kani O set its starting ramen price at 2,000 yen a bowl, SoraNews24 reported. (soranews24.com) The outlet framed that as a bold move at a time when more ramen shops are charging above 1,000 yen, but when crossing that threshold still makes ramen harder to sell to a broad public. Tokyo ramen pricing varies widely, but one recent guide put a typical bowl in the 800-yen to 1,300-yen range, with premium bowls costing more. That comparison helps explain why Kani O’s entry price has stood out in customer chatter. ### What did the first crowd look like? Nearly a dozen people were waiting roughly 20 minutes before opening, according to SoraNews24. (soranews24.com) The outlet said that turnout suggested strong curiosity even after the shop’s pricing had split opinion online. Online reaction, as described by SoraNews24, has broken into “love-it” and “hate-it” camps. (latestcost.com) The report also said some of the negative comments its reporter reviewed appeared to come from people who had not actually eaten there, while some of the strongest positive reviews came from diners who had visited. That characterization came from SoraNews24’s review of Japanese-language comments and reviews. (soranews24.com) ### What kind of ramen is Kani O selling? Crab is central to the concept. A YouTube post promoting the opening described the restaurant as serving spicy ramen built around rich crab flavor and identified it as a project by “fighting chef” Komeo. SoraNews24 described Kani O as an “extra-expensive” ramen restaurant and said the debate around it has centered less on whether premium ramen exists than on how far the category can be pushed before customers resist the price. (soranews24.com) That framing was SoraNews24’s, based on its reporting and review of customer reaction. (youtube.com) ### What happens next for the shop? May 24 was still within Kani O’s first month of operations, with the shop having begun service on May 4. SoraNews24’s report and the shop’s promotional listing indicate Kani O is now operating in Asakusa with service hours listed as 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Taito address. (soranews24.com)