is eating all you do in Japan, Vivian?

On Sunday night we went to rotating sushi at our all-time favorite, Yamato Sushi. Plates of sushi rotate on a conveyer belt and you just grab the plate that you want to eat. I have seen it in Vancouver and in Cali but it is not as common as in Japan. In Vancouver they put the sushi into little boats floating around a ring of water in the restaurant, hence the deceiving name, "floating sushi restaurant." I had envisioned eating sushi in a boat in a restaurant - whoops, I suppose I got a bit carried away with my imagination again.

In Japan rotating sushi is very common! The prices vary by the color of the plate and it can range from a dollar to 7 dollars...or, if by the seaside...luxury plates can range up to 10 dollars a dish. Some places offer every plate for a dollar but it is obvious that the quality and taste is of inferior quality. Though for people 'on the run' and without loads of cash to spend, it is a great place to grab a quick bite.

Sometimes they offer non-sushi items such as cakes, coffee jelly, juice, fried and glazed sweet potatoes, fried chicken, salad, soba noodles...etc, on the conveyer belt. I have noticed non-sushi items do not sell as well because if people wanted to eat those things, they would have gone elsewhere to dine.

The last picture is a picture from an order screen at a cheap Japanese set meal shop in Ochanomizu...you put in money, punch in the order you want, take the ticket...and the order is sent to the kitchen. You give the waitress the ticket and she brings out your food in less than 5-minutes flat. It's not really gourmet cuisine (in fact, far from it) but hey, it is cheap and fast...call it Japanese fast food without the order window.