Future Sushi

January 24, 2024 7:10 PM

The Most FUTURISTIC Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant [17m] may not be about exactly that, but it is about a very futuristic suchi restaurant that has a lot of ways to order and then your food just magically appears. And at prices that feel unimaginable in the US today, so inexpensive! A fun little food adventure.
posted by hippybear (17 comments total)

'Rm9sbG93ZXJz'

yum
posted by clavdivs at 7:20 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]

oh, this looks like one of the flagship locations the formerly-¥100-a-plate sushi places like to put in touristy areas, which is to say, this isn't really the norm for these, and in fact they kind of lean into being "wao so Japan!!" with the décor and presentation at these flagships

the quality of the food is okay enough, especially given that that market segment is defined by its prices, but it's generally pretty clear that the costs are kept down by just kind of minimizing staff (some have even automated the process of telling customers which tables/counter seats to sit at, rather than having a host/hostess), using machines to automate tasks like shaping the rice, or basically the McDonald'sification of sushi, and the "magically appearing" is basically just a dumb waiter system with a touchscreen monitor

it is also possible that I have simply lived in Japan for long enough to scoff at the idea of the country as an exotic futuristic wonderland (outside of the standard that has been established for toilets, which is… great)
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:05 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]

Does the robot get a 401K plan? Hard pass.
posted by Czjewel at 8:06 PM on January 24

I'm uncertain whether you're passing because the robot does get a 401K plan, despite being located in Japan where these things would not exist, or whether they didn't.

Like is your hard pass in support of the robot's masters getting a retirement plan for their mechanical servant, or is it in protest of a robot doing the work of someone who might get a retirement plan? And exactly which part of this process is the robot, because it seems to be mostly a touchscreen with humans making food behind the scene... but perhaps it's the robot that is switching the conveyor belt to guide the food onto the track next to the table on screen. It's the only robot I see on screen, and it's very primitive.
posted by hippybear at 8:26 PM on January 24 [2 favorites]

outside of the standard that has been established for toilets, which is… great

And vending machines.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:37 PM on January 24

Some of the robosushi places have robots that bring you drinks and other things that won't fit on the conveyor.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:48 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]

Hard pass because the robot isn't getting a retirement plan. The "masters"...o what an unfortunate word. There are abundant small family owned restaurants in Tokyo that one might choose to visit. Greeted by a hostess and escorted to your table.Some have Western style seating.Very pleasant, no robots. I like my robots in books and on the silver screen.
posted by Czjewel at 8:58 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]

And on the dancefloor?
posted by biffa at 1:50 AM on January 25 [1 favorite]

No, not on the dance floor.
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:43 AM on January 25

Seems like a vending machine with extra steps.

Remember: the cost savings from cutting labor means no one is there to wipe down those touch screens...
posted by AlSweigart at 6:11 AM on January 25 [1 favorite]

One of my favorite conveyor belt restaurants in Japan was one where the "Shinkansen" came out with the food and stopped at your table. I think you got a prize when you put the empty plates in a slot. But I love all conveyor belt restaurants--eating at one was on the top of my to-do list when I visited.
posted by pangolin party at 6:11 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]

A little known fact is that at least in the US, some conveyor belt sushi places have a "happy hour" where the food is all highly discounted in the last hour or so that they are open. It won't save until tomorrow, so it needs to be eaten today. So, if you are lucky enough to live near one of these, you can go out for drinks at a bar or brewery, and then end your evening eating endless, very cheap sushi while slightly inebriated. The crowd at the late night happy hour is always more varied than what you'd find there in the middle of the day, too, since discounted end-of-day sushi is something that some people have strong negative feelings towards.

This restaurant looked great and I'd love to try it, though I personally could do without the games and beeping.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:41 AM on January 25

I did enjoy my one and only visit to a Horn and Hardart Automat about a hundred years ago. Put a dime or quarter in the slot, open the little door and pull out your Mac and cheese...fun!
posted by Czjewel at 8:10 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]

I was taken to an Automat on the day we visited the New York World's Fair in 1965, and everything was paid for in multiples of nickels. I remember removing my 15¢ slice of lemon meringue pie from behind the little door. But there's really not much comparison - the automat was like a cafeteria: you filled your tray while standing and walking along, then carried it over to a table; but kaiten-zushi is always selected while sitting down: the sushi comes to you. And the hot water for green tea is right there, at every seat.

one where the "Shinkansen" came out with the food and stopped at your table

I've been to one of these. There's two tracks, all the regular sushis bobbing along on the regular; but if you placed a special order on the touch-screen, it would be delivered by a bullet train locomotive on the express track.
posted by Rash at 8:19 AM on January 25

Some of the robosushi places have robots that bring you drinks and other things

I was recently in a Hong Kong dim sum palace which had a couple robots circulating, but it wasn't clear what their function was, they were doing something with the bills which didn't involve our table.
posted by Rash at 8:36 AM on January 25

a) DancingBacons has been one of my favorite YouTube channels for the last few years, especially their street food videos.

b) I think you got a prize when you put the empty plates in a slot
There's a Kura Sushi (one of 47 US locations of a big conveyer belt sushi chain in Japan) near me, one of my girlfriend's favorite sushi places. They do have a slot to feed empty dishes in to (which helps tabulate your bill); feeding in enough plates triggers animations on the touchscreen and dropping of prize capsules from the gacha machine above your table.
posted by hanov3r at 10:08 AM on January 25 [5 favorites]

My spouse and I have watched a lot of DancingBacons over the past few years. The almost entire lack of talking is a huge plus for us, since we find so many narrators really annoying. We also enjoy their street food videos the most.
posted by mollweide at 12:17 PM on January 25