Yo! Sushi photo by Craig Morey.

Is it possible that D.C. should prepare itself for another invasion from the British, this time accompanied by the Japanese? U.K.-based kaiten sushi chain Yo! Sushi has announced plans to expand to the U.S., with an initial location in Chicago and future plans for D.C. and other cities. This comes on the tail of an announcement from Wagamama regarding the popular chain’s renewed expansion plans in the United States.

We’ve been discussing the potential Wagamama location on 7th Street in Penn Quarter since 2008. Opening date estimates continued to be pushed back until, eventually, we found out that the chain was searching for a business to sublet the space. Today, the space sits fallow with signage in the windows.

Wagamama has remained tight-lipped regarding their plans. But at a recent restaurant conference, Wagamama’s chief executive Steve Hill announced the intent to open 650 U.S.-based locations. These plans evolved after the chain worked on retooling the concept for their Boston locations to include an expanded color scheme, seating booths, subdued lighting and television screens. Hill also noted that Wagamama will focus their initial operations on the East Coast. Is the next logical step for them to finally open their D.C. location? Recent attempts by DCist to reach Wagamama for more information about future plans have yielded no response.