Conveyor Belt Sushi - Tokyo Intro: Experience #6 of 55

Kaitenzushi or conveyor belt sushi restaurants have been popular in Japan since the 1970s. They are something you need to try at least once as they are a great deal of fun and affordable.  Plates of sushi go around on a conveyor belt and customers pick the ones they want to eat off it.  These restaurants are popular with everyone, including families, because there are choices for everyone.

Some chains are able to sell plates as low as 100 yen ($1) because they don’t have to pay for wait staff, there is a high volume of sales, and a chef uses blocks of sushi rice formed by machines to make the sushi. Plates are often color coded by their cost and your bill is tabulated by scanning the plates at the end of the meal, as they have RFID chip embedded in them.

Many kaitenzushi restaurants are now using touch screen terminals to allow customers to custom order the sushi they want.  Restaurants with touch screen ordering (menus are in multiple languages) have two level conveyor belt systems where there is a lower belt with the regular offerings going around and around, and an express belt up top where your sushi order is delivered straight to your table.  Offerings are also being expanded to include ramen, karaage, tempura, fruit, and even dessert.

The four largest kaitenzushi restaurant chains are: Kappa Sushi, Kura Sushi, Hama Sushi, and Sushiro.   There are also many stand alone restaurants that you can try.

Back in 2023 there was a scandal in Japan where some social media, fame seeking types abused the conveyor belt sushi experience by tampering with the sushi going around on the conveyor belt and the condiments at the tables.  This can really only happen in the big chain stores where there are semi-private booths.  Due to these events, there are fewer restaurants that offer the sushi on the conveyor belt.  You might see pictures of sushi going by or a more empty belt and now have to order your sushi on a touch screen.  This isn't like the original experience where it was fun to see what would come by next.  However, there are still restaurants that offer real conveyor belt sushi, so you'll have to look a little harder for one.

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