Yes, they had officially opened the first week of 
June (I was supposed to be a cosplayer/sales 
assistant at the time).
And yes, there are actually lots of giant sized 
ones in Japan.

The only thing I know is that they might open one 
in San Francisco in a year or two.  But as my 
best friend was telling me, she heard someone 
right in front of the shop dissing the 
merchandise with no appreciation for anime 
whatsoever.  (They're loss of course.)