TOKYO - Sushiro, Japan’s leading conveyor-belt sushi chain, drew heavy crowds to a new outlet near Ayase Station in Tokyo on June 11, with the first day of business revealing both the brand’s strength and the pressure behind running a high-volume sushi restaurant.
The Ayase Ekimae branch opened at 11 a.m. about three minutes on foot from Ayase Station. Despite the weekday timing, more than 20 customers were already waiting before the doors opened. The restaurant is Sushiro’s 666th outlet nationwide, and local residents had been waiting for a major conveyor-belt sushi chain to open in the area, where such restaurants have been scarce.
Some customers said they had previously taken the train to nearby stations just to eat at Sushiro before returning home. The new outlet was entrusted to Watanabe, a 33-year-old manager who had previously run another Sushiro branch. He set an ambitious first-day target of more than 500 customers, a figure comparable to the number of visitors at a large weekend outlet.
Sushiro has remained the top-selling conveyor-belt sushi chain for 14 consecutive years. More than 1.6 billion plates of sushi are eaten at the chain annually, supported by its combination of affordable prices, large-scale sourcing and detailed in-store procedures.
One of the chain’s biggest draws is tuna. Sushiro procures tuna through Shimizu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan’s largest landing point for frozen tuna. Tuna caught in waters around the world is selected according to quality at the time of purchase. Buyers examine the cut surface, color and contraction of the flesh, even among fish caught on the same vessel, and use their hands and eyes to select tuna that meets Sushiro’s standards.
The tuna is then cut while still frozen at processing facilities before being shipped to stores across Japan. At the restaurants, the thawing process is also treated as a key part of the flavor. Sushiro thaws frozen tuna in lukewarm water mixed with salt in its own proportions, rather than using plain water. The company says plain water can cause drip loss, allowing the tuna’s natural flavor to escape, while salt water helps preserve its taste.
Hamachi was another popular item at the Ayase branch. The fish is raised at aquaculture farms in Kyushu, Shikoku and Mie, then shipped to stores raw and skin-on without being frozen. Staff remove the skin in-store every day, shortly before serving, because the layer between the skin and flesh is considered rich in flavor. The work is done about 30 minutes before service to keep the fish in its best condition.
The customer experience is also part of the chain’s appeal. Sushiro has introduced large touch-panel ordering screens, known as Digital Sushiro, since September 2023. The panels allow customers on both sides of a table to place orders, making it easier for families and groups to browse the menu without competing for a single screen. The company says the system also helps preserve the fun of conveyor-belt sushi at a time when traditional rotating lanes are becoming less common.
Not all customers came primarily for sushi. Some said Sushiro’s desserts were among the best in the conveyor-belt sushi sector. One group enjoyed eight types of sweets, including catalana, while mixing sushi and desserts throughout the meal.
Behind the opening was an intensive staff training process. More than 70 workers were on duty on the first day, many of them new to restaurant work. Training began 10 days before the opening and was held four times, covering both hall and kitchen duties.
In preparation areas where staff learn to cut toppings, trainees first practiced knife handling using blocks of tempura batter, whose elasticity and texture resemble fish. Only after learning the basic movement did they begin cutting actual sushi toppings. One trainee said it was the first time they had handled such work, but that the four training sessions had helped them improve.
On the final day of training, large numbers of sushi plates were brought out for inspection. Trainers checked each plate to identify mistakes before opening day. Incorrect toppings and presentation errors were pointed out so the staff could avoid repeating them during actual service.
The opening began strongly, with customers entering steadily from 11 a.m. Watanabe personally greeted customers, saying the store hoped to become loved by the local community. About an hour after opening, roughly 100 customers had already visited.
The pace slowed later in the afternoon, however, and by 4 p.m. the store had reached only about half of its 500-customer target. Watanabe said he was worried that customer traffic had stopped more than expected and hoped for a stronger evening rush.
That rush arrived after 6 p.m. The waiting list grew to around 100 groups and a 150-minute wait, then expanded further to 110 groups and a 170-minute wait. Staff struggled to keep up with clearing tables and preparing orders, prompting Watanabe to help with cleanup himself.
A mistake occurred during the peak period when the wrong item was delivered to a customer. Watanabe apologized and had the dish remade, then reorganized staff roles so workers knew more clearly who was responsible for each task, including urgent deliveries. After that adjustment, the restaurant operated through the rest of the night without further major mistakes.
The first day ended at 11 p.m. Despite the slow afternoon, the store ultimately served about 1,000 customers, double its original target. Watanabe said the restaurant had achieved its goal of serving customers properly and sending them home satisfied.
The broader popularity of sushi restaurants is not limited to national chains. In Chiba Prefecture, local chain Yamato Sushi has built a strong following as a seafood company-run restaurant group. Customers praised the size and freshness of its toppings, with some saying they had visited about 10 times and one customer saying they had been there roughly 100 times in six months.
Yamato Sushi’s recommended items include three pieces of tuna selected by expert buyers: lean tuna, medium fatty tuna and fatty tuna. Its homemade vinegared mackerel and a trio of blue-backed fish such as horse mackerel and sardine are also popular for their freshness and rich fat. Because the chain is directly operated by a seafood company, skilled buyers procure fish from ports including Kamogawa, allowing the restaurants to offer less common toppings such as splendid alfonsino and raw fish varieties not always found at major chains.
The rice is Chiba’s Fusakogane, known for its chewy texture, while the red vinegar used to bring out the flavor is also made in Chiba. On weekdays, the chain offers a value lunch seafood bowl with nine kinds of toppings, including tuna, white fish, salmon and squid, plus miso soup, for 1,180 yen. A limited 20-piece nigiri set available until noon costs 1,380 yen.
Yamato Sushi also holds irregular all-you-can-eat events at some branches. At one outlet in Ibaraki Prefecture, seats were full as customers took advantage of a deal priced at 3,980 yen for men and 3,280 yen for women on the day covered. Premium items such as 530-yen salmon roe gunkan and 580-yen medium fatty tuna were included in the offer.
Some customers focused on higher-priced items to maximize value. A pair of university judo athletes ordered plate after plate of salmon roe, negitoro gunkan and medium fatty tuna, saying they were happy to eat such good toppings at that price. In one hour, they ate sushi worth about 18,000 yen, saving roughly 14,000 yen compared with normal prices.
A table of four women ordered not only sushi but also two 330-yen chawanmushi dishes, a 480-yen crab item and multiple desserts, including smooth pudding priced at 330 yen. The group ate nine puddings in total. Each person consumed food worth 12,550 yen, saving about 9,000 yen each.
The best-value group of the day was three senior members of the judo club, who ate about 30 plates each, including nearly 150 pieces of sushi and 10 puddings. Their total would have come to more than 40,000 yen at regular prices. Each person ate 19,053 yen worth of food, saving more than 15,000 yen each.
From a local seafood chain offering rare toppings and bargain lunches to a national conveyor-belt giant opening its 666th store, the crowded restaurants showed how Japan’s sushi business continues to draw customers by combining quality, price and operational discipline.
Source: TBS
