Upon arriving at the restaurant we were warmly greeted by a cheerful, apron clad, standing outside the restaurant clapping her hands and saying “irashai!” or welcome. We were quickly ushered in to a table on the main level but there are also seats upstairs or at the main sushi bar if you want to be closer to the action.

The interior of the restaurant is warmly lit and the sushi chefs are a very lively bunch who often pause to announce a special that is about to be prepared. The waiters are patient and friendly and the service is prompt. The prices are reasonable, but most importantly the food is oishi-desu! Absolutely delicious!

Pictured below you will see my husband eagerly reaching for some of this great sushi as I took the picture. I made it just in time!

In a clockwise direction starting at the top left the sushi pictured above is Salmon (Y98/piece), a type of roe that I can’t remember the name of, minced tuna hand-rolls (Y300/roll), Seared Fatty Tuna (Y398/piece), Squid legs (Y98/piece), and in the center is Pink Tuna (Y98/piece).

I would highly recommend the Salmon and the Seared Fatty Tuna but it’s a toss up on the roe as my husband stated quite bluntly that it “tasted like the inside of a tennis ball” and as a result I chickened out and didn’t try it. Only one out of the four of us enjoyed the roe and the one that did was the only one who was born and raised in Japan.

If you like sushi you definitely want to check out Sushizanmai!

Here’s How:

Sushizanmai (website)
Locations: 20 different locations, we went to the Honten location (map). Menu: An English menu is available and some locations offer set menus or courses. (sample menu)
Hours: Varies by location but the Honten location is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Table Time Limit: Two hours

Photo credit: Personal Collection

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

One of the coolest things that you can do when you come to Tokyo is eat at a Kaitenzushi restaurant.  This month marks the 50th anniversary of this very cool dining experience where your sushi is brought to you on a conveyor belt.  The Daily Yomiuri reports that the first conveyor belt sushi restaurant opened in 1958 in Osaka. 

“Operator Yoshiaki Shiraishi equipped a sushi restaurant counter with a revolving belt after seeing a conveyer belt at a beer factory and thinking that it could reduce the work of waitstaff….Shiraishi dreamed of making sushi, which was once considered a luxury food, affordable for common people.”

Shiraishi-san has succeeded – there are about 4,000 revolving sushi restaurants currently operating in Japan.  You won’t necessarily get the best quality sushi at a Kaitenzushi restuarant but it will likely be better than you are used to at home and the prices are reasonable.   Just take what you want off the conveyor belt and stack up the empty plates for your server to count up when you are done.   The color of the plate determines the price of your selection.

This video of a Kaitenzushi conveyor belt in action will help you identify some of the dishes and is just fun to watch!

Photo Credit: Flickr, IM000394  Video: YouTube, The KAITEN-SUSHI(sushi bar)

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler