All Aboard: The Origins of the Sushi Train
Fast, fresh and fun, conveyor belt sushi restaurants — or "sushi trains," known as kaitenzushi in Japan — have changed the way we eat sushi forever. But how did it all begin?
Kaitenzushi means "rotation sushi" in Japanese, and was invented by sushi restaurant owner Yoshiaki Shiraishi in the 1950s.
As the story goes, Shiraishi was looking for a way to serve customers more quickly without having to hire more staff, and he was inspired by a trip to a beer factory.
His idea was simple: chefs put sushi on small plates that are placed on a moving belt — much like the one he saw bottles moving along at the beer factory — that travels around the restaurant.
Customers then take any plates they want off the belt, without needing a waiter.
In 1958, Shiraishi opened his first conveyor belt restaurant, called Mawaru Genroku Sushi, in Osaka. Offering quick and cheap sushi, the new dining experience became popular right away — and you can still eat there today.
And after a Genroku Sushi restaurant opened at the 1970 Osaka World Expo, Japan had a kaitenzushi boom, with other sushi restaurants soon copying Genroku's conveyor belts.
By the late 1990s, kaitenzushi restaurants were opening around the world.
One of the unique features of kaitenzushi is the plates, which often have different colors or designs to show the price of the food on them. At the end of a meal, the bill is based on the number and price of the empty plates.
Shiraishi believed the speed of the conveyor belt was very important. Too fast, and customers wouldn't be able to see the food. Too slow, and they would get impatient.
After much thought, Shiraishi decided on a speed of 7.5 centimeters per second. Today, kaitenzushi conveyor belts will move anywhere between 4 centimeters per second and 10 centimeters per second.
