Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo

by Matthew Amster-Burton

I’m not sure if I believe me, either. Kurazushi (along with its nearly identical competitors Sushirō and Kappazushi) is a conveyor belt sushi chain. As at any kaitenzushi restaurant, plates go by on a conveyor belt. Everybody ignores them, however, in favor of the iPad mounted at each seat. The iPad runs an app that turns it into a touchscreen menu. You browse through the categories of food (fish, shellfish, specials, tempura, desserts) and tap the photo of the item you’d like to order. There are well over a hundred options. A minute or two later, your screen dings and displays a notification, and the sushi you ordered comes zooming along on a special express lane conveyor belt and stops directly in front of you. Iris, Laurie, and I all agreed: this is the greatest thing that can possibly happen in a restaurant. Way better than the waiter bringing you an engagement ring. They don’t even have waiters at Kurazushi. Want tea? Powdered tea, cups, and a hot water dispenser are right in front of you. Beer? Walk over to the refrigerator, pull out a chilled glass, and dispense your own draft beer from the adjacent tap.