Kaitenzushi, the Basics

(Yet another food blog)

Up until now, I’ve only been to the kaitezushi (revolving sushi) bar behind Musashi-Sakai station and one in the basement of a Kobe department store complex. Going to the one in Kobe won’t happen for me until I go all the way back to Kobe, so I was prepared to settle for the one near the station. But while it was cheap, it was so small and so crowded, and I’d have to bike all the way there. Not such a good set up. That was until my friends let me in on a great ICU secret: there is a bigger, closer, cheaper sushi bar right down the street!

They had all been craving sushi (and, really, who doesn’t?) and we had Friday afternoon classes canceled for a government issued test that weekend, so we decided to head off for our fill of sushi right after Japanese class. So, after class, off we went; past the gate watchman, past the rival ramen stores, the small shrine, J-Mart, Don Quixote, the large shrine, and under a bridge or two. We can in mass, which might have intimidated lesser store owners, but this particular kaiten was used to having swarms of ICU foreigners, so they weren’t shocked to see us at all. We did, though have to split up because SOME OF US couldn’t wait and decided it would be a good idea to skip the second half of Japanese class and go to the restaurant early, so they were already done by the time we arrived. All’s well that ends well, though, as our second wave would have had to sit at a second booth anyway.

For those of you who are new to all this (and in case I haven’t written it already), kaitenzushi bars are known for minimal customer-chef interaction and for serving most of the food on a revolving belt. The sushi chef cooks (rather, matches or wraps) everything in a little area and sets his finished pieces on the belt. As the little fish travels around the counter, it is up for grabs for anyone sitting at the bar. If you want one, just take it. After you eat the sushi, keep your plate until the end the servers will tally up how much you ate and bill you off that. Different types of plates have different colors or styles to help calculate price. For example, a yellow plate might be 105 yen, but one with blue flowers will be 225 yen. Color also lets the customer know if the sushi comes with wasabi already included or not. Each shop has a different plate system, so it is good to check before you grab a 500 yen plate. Ordering off the menu is also allowed.

If the store is small enough, you can just tell the chef what you want. But at the place we went, there cooks were all in the kitchen and two belts of food were coming out on the floor. In order to order, you had to type what you’d like electronically and when your order was ready, it would be sent around in a special bowl and music would announce that it was coming near your booth.

Most people like tuna and other types of fish, but the chewier stuff is my favorite! Clams, oysters, squid, and octopus are all good choices, but if you want something else, just pick it up. The restaurant that we went to had French fries, soups, desserts, and lots of “unique” sushi rolls, too. The food was so good, filling, and cheap, we all went back two days later! But having it twice in a three day period is enough for me. I’ll be set for sushi for a while, I think.