#34 How to find your Sushi restaurant in Japan.
It's not so difficult to choose if you know the point. The best is to clarify the price range.
What is your priority food if you visit Japan for the first time or after a long absence? Is it cheap delicious food or any other typical Japanese dish? Or you may say that Sushi is a globally recognized Japanese dish. In many cases, you may not have any ideas where you should go to have sushi. It all depends on your budget and the quality you expect. In this newsletter, I’ll write about important points when you choose sushi restaurants in Tokyo. I am going to categorize three groups of restaurants by budget and it will be easy to start finding your restaurants.
Budget: 1,000-2,000 Yen per head
Conveyor belt sushi is called “Kaiten-sushi” and may come straight into your mind in this range. They are very cheap and only cost 110 Yen for one plate with two pieces of sushi. There are three major chains in numbers such as Sushiro, Hama-sushi and Kura-sushi. These three chains are competing fiercely in the expansion process. So you have no difficulties finding one of these branches. If you are taking your family, they have the advantage of the side menus. There are so many side dishes that your kids will love them.
Unfortunately, Sushiro doesn’t have an English site, but the other two have an English site and they will give you a good idea. The budget, 2,000 Yen will be enough for one adult. The procedure until the plate is served is very simple. You check the menu on the tablet and choose and decide on the quantity, then order. Food will be delivered in a few minutes. For checkout, you just put all the plates through the counter and call for the attendant. You will receive the slip with the bar code and settle down the payment with your credit cards or other ways.
One of the unique chains of Sushi is Nemuro Hanamaru which is based in Nemuro Hokkaido. It is not as cheap as other conveyor belt sushi chains, but they are pursuing a balance of quality and price. The location of branches is mostly in central Tokyo such as in Ginza and around Tokyo station. Some of them are standing bar style, but it may be the best choice if you are not using them as business entertainment. I don’t mind using it for a casual quick business lunch.
Balanced: 5,000-6,000 Yen per head
In this range, quality, quantity and price might be the right balance choice for overseas visitors. And I strongly recommend it to those who are visiting Japan for the first time. If you choose the right place, you can be sure of a wallet-friendly and satisfying meal. Sushi isn’t the only cousin you would like to try, but you don’t want to eat poor tasted sushi. There is one chain called “Midorisushi” which is opening shops mainly in the west of Tokyo. One plate of sushi costs 3,000-4,000 yen and I use it for family occasions. There are other choices, but you just have to check from the price list if it is reasonable pricing or not. Please don’t go to a sushi restaurant in a department store or a shopping mall since the rent for the restaurant tend to be topped on the price.
Top End: Over 20,000 Yen
This is not limited to the sushi industry in Japan, but there is an expression for customers of Japanese haute cuisine restaurants called “first-time visitors”. In restaurants that do not originally display market prices, it has been traditional to charge high prices to first-time customers and give discounts to familiar customers.
In a sense, this is a cultural aspect that is typical of Japan in terms of valuing familiar customers but be careful if you go to such a restaurant as a customer. Originally, getting a reservation at such restaurants was impossible, but it is not a living experience, to sit down by chance and eat while worrying about how much you will be charged at the end of the meal.
I wouldn’t say that all of top end sushi restaurants distinguish between customers in the form of price, but you should keep in your mind that there is still some that kind of restaurant. So my advice is to go with someone who knows the restaurant or it is a matter of finding a shop where you can check the price in advance.
Tips
Finding the right restaurant without anxiety may be one of the toughest things for ordinary travellers from abroad. But don’t worry, it is different from being ripped off at a catch bar in an entertainment district. Firstly, ask your local friends for advice and they will give you safe ideas. Secondly, just choose the middle class of highly evaluated restaurants. You may end up being in a long queue, but more than anything else, it is obvious proof that the sushi restaurant is a safe place to go.