Kappa Sushi

Last week we dined at Kappa Sushi, a chain sushi restaurant serving up decent, inexpensive, single-serving sushi with a twist. While patient diners may opt to select pre-made items (sushi, juice boxes, dessert) from a conveyor belt that passes by each table, those who know exactly what they want and prefer to have it delivered right to them have the option of using a touch screen to order up items. And those items aren't delivered by a waiter or waitress, but rather by a mini shinkansen bullet train, reminiscent of Mr.Rogers's trolley (see the video below).We did a little of both. The most difficult part about it making a quick decision about whether or not you want the item rolling by and then communicating that to the person sitting closest to the belt. For example, this is the banter that inevitably took place several times during the meal between me (sitting next to the belt) and Matt (sitting opposite of the belt):

Me: Do you want it?
Matt: I don't know.

Me: Do you want it?!
Matt: Um, maybe.

Me: Yes or no...You have to decide!

In the meantime, the item gets further and further from reach. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. But that's ok, because it will most likely be around again in less than 10 minutes or you can have it delivered by train. It really is an entertaining way to eat out. At the end of the meal, a member of the wait staff counts the stacked plates (they each cost the same thing- around 100 yen, a little more than 1 USD), and the bill is calculated.

 

 

Hazel started out the dinner snoozing, woke up to witness the conveyor belt fun, but in the end, was much more interested in her own toys. Give it another year, and I'm sure we'll have our hands full preventing her from grabbing things off the belt and reaching for the train.

 

Finally, there are a series of strange instructions on the front door to Kappa Sushi. Of course we didn't see these until we were leaving, the most relevant of which being "No photos in (t)his restaurant". Whoops.