A Traveler's Guide for Travelers : Kaitenzushi (Conveyor Belt Sushi) Guide
Kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) was a go-to meal for us in Japan. Especially because we were traveling with our little ones. If Trent and I were traveling alone, we would have probably stopped into a kaitenzushi restaurant once or twice during the trip. If only to just experience that style of dining. But with the kids, it was simply too convenient. We went to a total of five kaitenzushi restaurants during our (almost) month long stay in Japan. It’s relatively inexpensive compared to many other sushi restaurants. And while the quality isn’t as high, it’s still very good compared to what you typically find in the U.S. and it’s delicious! Plus, there were often many kid-friendly types of sushi. Our whole family loved the experience time and time again.
Japan is such a wonderful and fun place to visit. It’s also full of different customs and norms from the U.S. which means that sometimes a little guide before visiting a new place is helpful. So here’s our Traveler’s Guide for Travelers : Kaitenzushi (Conveyor Belt Sushi) Guide!
HISTORY LESSON
Kaitenzushi (“rotation sushi”) began in Osaka in 1958 and was invented by Yoshiaki Shiraishi. At one point he had 250 kaitenzushi restaurants in Japan, but now there are only a handful. We visited one of his remaining restaurants in Osaka. (He also invented robotic sushi, sushi served by robots. What a creative guy!)
THE RIGHT SEAT
The kaitenzushi restaurants we visited were usually fairly big, seating approximately 50-100 people. The majority of seats are bar-style seating facing the conveyor belt. But there are also many tables with direct access to the conveyor belt as well. We preferred sitting at a table when dining with our kids. (Our rule: Parents always get to sit next to the conveyor belt or else our kids would have taken a million plates!) Ideally, if you have a choice, try to sit at the start of the conveyor belt line since it will really impact your choice of dish.
There are often tables that are not located along the main conveyor belt line. They have their own belt where their orders are delivered. Definitely not as much fun as sitting along the main line. Although sometimes this conveyor belt delivers orders by cute little railroad-style trains or even little boats! Japan is truly filled with the cutest touches.
CONVEYOR BELT & TABLET
Once you’re seated, there are two ways to start receiving dishes. Sushi passes by (at approximately 8 cm per second) and you can grab any dish that looks delicious to you! Or you can order through a tablet. All five of the kaiten restaurants we visited had tablets at each table to place special orders. (And almost all tablets had an English option.) This is especially helpful if you’re further down the conveyor belt line and you want more popular items that never make it to you.
How cute is this little mug?!
ORDERING DRINKS
You can also order drinks through the tablet. Most of the kaitenzushi restaurants we visited had mugs and green tea available at the table. The tables are even outfitted with a hot water dispenser!
“Various fish was wasabi leaves” - not entirely sure what I are, so delicious!
PICK YOUR SUSHI
Now the fun begins! Start picking plates of sushi as they pass. Plates are color coded by price. So search for a chart with prices before choosing! Prices usually range from 100-500 yen (approx $1-5). Restaurants usually had a plate with a little menu card for a dish and then the actually dishes followed behind it. It’s like a little sushi parade! But sometimes it’s just a mystery and you need to be adventurous! We often let one rotation go by to get a sense of our options in a new-to-us restaurant before digging in.
Dining with kids? Some restaurants have a kid’s plate to special order. But there are also great “sushi” options that our kids loved straight off the belt like tuna salad, cream corn, tamagoyaki (egg omelette). Many restaurants even had French fries and fried shrimp!
Stack finished plates at the end of your table and watch them rise as you enjoy each dish!
CONDIMENTS
Seats and tables are equipped with a little condiment caddy that includes soy sauce, pickled ginger, dishes for soy sauce, a box of chopsticks, and green tea items. Wasabi is usually already added to the sushi or sometimes passes by on a plate of its own.
DOs & DON’Ts
Don’t touch a plate if you’re not going to take it. And definitely don’t take a plate and then put it back on the line. And there’s one more final, and important, don’t below!
SPECIAL ORDERS
A note about special orders… This is a rule that we accidentally broke during our first visit! Each seat/table has a number associated with it. When you place a special order, your dish will be delivered through the main conveyor belt line but it will be sitting on top of a bowl with your seat number on it. So…. don’t take dishes off of the line that have a number associated with it unless it’s your number! Whoops!
PAY & GO!
You can usually send a notification that you’re ready for your check through the tablet or by getting the attention of one of the servers. Servers usually have cool little devices that scan and add up the number of plates on your table and print your bill.
As a family of four, we usually ate around 24-26 plates. And our whole meal with beers usually cost around $50-75. Not bad at all for a meal in Japan!
Have you ever eaten at a kaitenzushi restaurant? What Japanese dish is at the top of your list to try during a visit to Japan?
