Foodie Files: Conveyor Belt Sushi

Quick: name the first Japanese food that springs to your mind. GO!

I bet it was sushi. Was it sushi? Just pretend it was, because this post will be irrelevant otherwise.

There are basically two ways to do sushi (or zushi) in Japan. The first is the famous "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" way, where an artist who happens to work in fish sets up shop and makes sushi directly for the people sitting in front of him. He'll watch you eat and shape the fish to your pace and your liking. These places are usually very small, with a reverent and quiet atmosphere, and they are very pricey. Plus, you pretty much eat what you are given, unless you have a serious food aversion or allergy. I hear it's lovely, but we haven't actually done it yet ourselves.

The second way is conveyor belt sushi. This is our local favorite. 

When sushi becomes part of a compound word in Japanese, it is pronounced "zushi". You'll see it both ways if you travel in Japan, but it means the same thing.

This is a very different experience. The restaurants are large,  very noisy, and super cheap. But they are still delicious and they are usually PACKED to the gills. (Ha.Ha.)

I have to admit, I had no hopes that my children would become sushi lovers. I was quite pleased to be wrong.

Tuna rolls are her favorite.

While I had zero expectations, I think the fun atmosphere really adds to thrill for my children. The booths are staggered around central "train tracks" as my children call them and the sushi circulates on the tracks.

This is actually in England, but it gives you a good idea of the overall layout.

You sit down at your booth and start snagging plates right away. Zero wait time also helps with little children. Plus, the lurid midori green soda we allow them to drink probably helps. I'm sure this color is all natural. This is Fanta melon soda which is very popular here and is always one of two sodas on offer, along with regular cola.

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If you don't like soda, each conveyor belt sushi place that I've seen has powdered green tea available at no charge at your table, with a hot water dispenser either at your table or at the soda fountain. And always, ice water is available for free, albeit in teeny tiny Japanese glasses that are about 1/3 the size of American soda glasses.

The chefs will prepare certain "standard" dishes and send them onto the belt.  For instance, there will almost always be tuna, salmon, roe, and urchin circulating along with some California rolls and cucumber stick rolls. There will usually be some edamame and a few desserts making the rounds as well.

You can see the plates on both sides of belt.

You save your plates which usually come in three colors to indicate different levels of pricing and then your waiter will total up your plates at the end for your bill.

You also have a screen at your table which allows you to place special orders. There are a variety of appetizers and desserts and sides available and you can also order special sushi rolls. Special orders come elevated on black plates and your screen will sound an alert when your order gets within a few feet of your table. This is also extremely exciting for my kids who like to scream "HERE IT COMES!!!!" when our alert sounds. I like to think we're bringing a special American vibe to the joint when this happens.

The leftmost plate is elevated, which means someone placed an order for it. Naturally it's bad form to snatch an order that isn't yours, no matter how tempting it looks!

The quality of the sushi is a cut above (I'm so sorry about all the bad puns, but I can't stop) grocery store deli selections and a significant step below a sushi chef's restaurant, but mid level sushi in Japan is still really darn good. And you can feed a large family very cheaply. I believe our bill came up to about $21 dollars and we all ate a LOT of food, including appetizers and desserts for each of us.

I believe there are quite a few of these in the States as well, but if you're here in Japan, it's a must visit cultural experience and very kid friendly.