Conveyor belt sushi

There are so many different ways to consume sushi in Japan.  One of the most popular is conveyor belt sushi.  We've been to several, each with it's own little fun aspects.  My son is a big fan of the Shinkasen (bullet train) themed restaurant.  I really like restaurants that offer lots of new and unique types of sushi.  It is one of those "truly Japanese" experiences, no matter where you decide to try it.

Yoshiaki Shiraishi invented conveyor belt sushi, known as kaiten sushi or rotation sushi, in 1958 to help his restaurant cope with staffing issues and high demand.  The original restaurant in Osaka wasn't alone for long, as it quickly spread due to being a fast and convenient meal. 

My husband keeps an eye out for interesting conveyor belt sushi restaurants, because it is one of our son's favorite restaurants.  Since my husband and I tire of doing the same thing again and again, we are constantly looking out for new restaurants and things to do.

When we had extra time before the choir concert, we decided to go to a kaiten sushi restaurant, Kurazushi.  It was a national chain restaurant that my husband had heard about and wanted to go to.

I understood his desire when we entered the restaurant.  The food is put on little pods with covers on them.  The cover lifts off as soon as you grab the plate.  They looked like little UFOs traveling around on the belt.

Not only was he interested in the sushi, he had heard the ramen was really good at Kurazushi as well.  Although the restaurant is a chain, each restaurant makes the ramen broth from scratch each day.  The taste is so good compared to most places that use pre-made stock. 

At the end of the meal, we took our plates and slid them into a slot under the conveyor belt.  It counted the number of plates and helped our server tally the bill.  He only needed to count the unusual shaped plates, like the ramen bowl.  But this wasn't the only function of the slot.  There is a stream of water inside the counter that carries the plates to the kitchen for washing.  Also, after inserting 5 plates, the screen that you use to order food displays a game for the customers to play.  If you win, you get a small prize.  We didn't win, so I have no idea what these prizes are, just that they come in a little plastic ball.  The game encourages people to eat more - two more plates and I might win something!

It was fun to go to a new shop and try their version of this iconic meal.  Our family had a great time and would definitely go back again sometime.