Basketball nights in Shiga now come with a food story, too. Shiga Lakes, which moved up to the B.LEAGUE PREMIER for the 2026–27 season, has a new partner for the VIP area “Lakes Lounge” at Shiga Daihatsu Arena: Kobe-based Crée de Rêve Co., Ltd., which runs wedding venues and restaurants. The two have signed a Bronze Partner contract, and Crée de Rêve handles food, drink and service in the lounge.
Service began at the home opener on Saturday, October 3, 2026. A Kobe company is now working behind the scenes for a Shiga team.
A buffet of Shiga ingredients, from Omi beef curry to smelt
The lounge serves a buffet built around ingredients from Shiga Prefecture: Omi beef, Omi rice, Omi vegetables, fish from Lake Biwa, red konnyaku and ebi-mame (beans cooked with shrimp), among other local staples.
Planned dishes include Omi beef curry, simmered wakasagi (Japanese pond smelt), simmered moroko (a small Lake Biwa fish), ebi-mame, yaki-saba bo-zushi (grilled mackerel pressed sushi), red konnyaku, “Mizukagami” (Shiga’s brand rice) and “Kanekoro” by Kanekichi Yamamoto. The aim is to introduce Shiga’s food culture to visitors from outside the prefecture and to show locals new ways to enjoy familiar ingredients.
The chef in charge is 相原隆久 of Crée de Rêve. He is head chef of the wedding venue SOLA KOBE and has also worked on the food at restaurants and cafés inside Kobe Port Tower and at “KOBE 270°Club sponsored by ANA,” the VIP floor of GLION ARENA KOBE. Seeing Lake Biwa ingredients take center stage at a sports venue should be of interest to local fans, too.
Ingredients and menu will grow through the season
Ingredients are chosen with local producers and by drawing on connections with Shiga Lakes’ sponsor companies. Rather than fixing a finished menu from the start, the team plans to deepen its understanding of Shiga’s ingredients and food culture over the season and let the menu develop. The hope is that dishes will spark questions like “Where is this from?” or “Shiga has this too!” and lead guests to take more interest in the prefecture.
It may also mean the lineup shifts during the season, which gives regulars something to look forward to.
Experience from Vissel Kobe and the Kobe Storks
Crée de Rêve has run food, drink and service in the VIP areas of Noevir Stadium Kobe, home of Vissel Kobe, and at GLION ARENA KOBE. At Lakes Lounge it handles more than the buffet and drinks: it also provides service staff, guest reception and the day-to-day running of the VIP area.
The goal is to make the whole time from arrival to departure comfortable, so that guests feel “today was special.” It also wants the companies that invite guests to feel glad they brought them here.
A Shiga Lakes representative said the club had experienced Crée de Rêve’s refined service and cuisine firsthand and became convinced that, together with this high-quality hospitality, it could create a space worthy of its VIP area and give Shiga Lakes its own “color” at Shiga Daihatsu Arena.
Partnership details
- Contract: 2026–27 season Bronze Partner contract
- Start: Saturday, October 3, 2026, from the home opener of the 2026–27 season
- Venue: Shiga Daihatsu Arena
- Area: VIP area “Lakes Lounge” (up to 150 people, standing and seated)
- Services: buffet food, drinks, service staff and guest service, VIP reception, and other food, beverage and service operations in the VIP area
- Operator: Crée de Rêve Co., Ltd. (1-5-4 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe)
- Website (Japanese): https://www.cdr-heart.com/
