In this video, I visit 2 conveyor belt (kaiten) sushi restaurants in Kyoto, one fancy and one average. Watch till the end to find out if itās actually worth the extra cost to visit the fancier restaurant.
Watch my Vlogs from the same trip!
KYOTO VLOG PART 1 ā https://youtu.be/FgxJbaLQP8o
KYOTO VLOG PART 2 ā https://youtu.be/wxmu6nGES7s
Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onedera Kyoto (Fancy)
Japan, ć600-8021 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Junpucho, 305 åę”ę²³åēŗćć« ļ¼é
*Accepts Credit Cards
MoriMori Sushi Shijo Karawamachi Branch (Average)
Japan, ć600-8001 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Shincho, 68 ä½åäøåē£äŗ¬é½ćć« 8F
*Cash Only
(Video was shot in early October 2023)
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In this video, Iām comparing two kaiten sushi or conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Kyoto One fancy and one average and Iāll let you knowĀ if itās worth the extra yen to visit the fancyĀ version Theyāre actually just a block away fromĀ each other so you can try them both yourselfĀ Ā
And let me know if you agree The first restaurantĀ is Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onedera This is from the same restaurant group thatās responsible forĀ Sushi Ginza Onedera in Tokyo and Los Angeles Both of which I canāt afford so this is the perfectĀ alternative Iām inside now, got my number and Iām waiting
And already the decor is a clear indicatorĀ that this isnāt your average kaiten sushi place Unlike other kaiten sushi restaurants they onlyĀ had bar seating Their layout also made the darker space feel more intimate Especially since theĀ center divider was built so high I started off with making myself a green tea
I absolutelyĀ love having self-service water dispensers with green tea powder right at your table Add oneĀ spoon You can tell this place is very foreigner-friendly with their English instructionsĀ and easy to navigate iPad menu interface One spoon Push Amazingā¦ohā¦ Mmmā¦ Alright Letās go ahead in order
I wentĀ through the entire menu to see what they had available and took note of what I should order I couldnāt order to my heartās content since I had to save room for the next restaurant PlusĀ the prices here were definitely higher than cheaper kaiten chains
By the way everything wasĀ made to order and itās been that way for most kaiten sushi restaurants due to COVID initially But then not too long ago there were several instances of young āprankstersā that keptĀ licking and touching plates of sushi that were on the conveyor belt
So part of the funĀ of just grabbing any plate of sushi off the conveyor belt was gone at the time of filming But at least everything was fresh I began with ordering some sake I usually opt for cheap hotĀ sake back in the States because the heat masks harsh unpleasant notes in cheaper sakes
But evenĀ the good sake here are pretty affordable and I decided to go with the recommended sake AndĀ of course, I had to try their uni, my favorite I got a combo of their green or Bafun uniĀ and purple or Murasaki uni I also got my other favorite ikura
The sake arrived and theyĀ filled it to the brim like all good sake pours should Ooo, thatās pretty good ThenĀ I waited for my first nigiri to arrive which was iikura Gotta love those glistening pearls Itadakimasu (I humbly receive)! Mmm!
A very good start to dinner and oh myĀ gosh, my mouth is watering just to editing this footage I definitely had to try their otoroĀ but it was still pricier than I expected But even without the favorable exchangeĀ rate it would still be cheaper here than in the US
I loved being able to customizeĀ the amount of rice and wasabi especially since I had to save some room for more sushiĀ at the other restaurant Still waiting for my uni Hmm My uni finally arrived but I couldnāt tell which one was which at the time I tried the lighter colored uni first
It was great initially butĀ then the aftertaste was a bit odd Thereās an interesting taste Iām notĀ used to The second one was definitely the Bafun uni which Iāve had beforeĀ and itās absolutely delicious, highly recommend The second one is better Then my otoro arrivedĀ but it didnāt look quite like the picture
I feel like they gave me an end piece or somethingĀ because the marbling of the fat wasnāt quite in the right place Still it tasted delicious butĀ maybe a little sinewy Felt like I didnāt really get my moneyās worth on this one I think they alsoĀ provide a more premium soy sauce, yum!
I almost feel like the soy sauce has like a sweet flavor to it Each order actuallyĀ took a while to arrive and I would watch multiple plates come down the conveyor belt hoping itĀ was mine only to watch it dash right past me to another customer
I had completely forgotten thereĀ were two levels of conveyor belts and didnāt even realize that mine had arrived on the second level My sea bream, gizzard shad, and ebodai or Japanese butterfish arrived Gizzard shad is definitelyĀ not for novice sushi eaters and itās very fishy, more than mackerel
I feel like I had it once inĀ the states and it was a bit less fishy Pretty fishy I wanted to get more but I knew I wouldnātĀ be able to eat anything at the other restaurant if I kept going Okay I think Iām done GrabbingĀ my clip and heading to the counter
It ended up being 5,200 yen Iāll share my overall thoughts atĀ the very end but letās get to our next restaurant which by the way is cash only This one is a localĀ favorite called MoriMori Sushi which is more like an average kaiten sushi restaurant but still not theĀ cheapest chain
I arrived, put my name down on the iPad wait list, and walked around Theyāre locatedĀ on the eighth floor of a shopping mall along with other restaurants I spotted this grilled unagiĀ place and wished I could eat it too but thereās never enough time when youāre traveling to eatĀ everything you want
Though I did end up eating some grilled unagi at Haneda Airport Garden onĀ the way home You can watch that in my Kyoto Vlog Part Two, link in the description Oh man itĀ looks really good, Mmm! By around 7:40 pm, the wait list was at capacity even though they close atĀ 10 pm.
I had made it just in timeā¦ Phew! After sitting down, I perused their iPad menu At first, I couldnāt figure out how to pull up the English menu because their interface was a bit moreĀ confusing but still managed to order a couple of things before seeing the English menu button
Like the other restaurant, there wasnāt anything on their conveyor belt aside from photos andĀ packets of wasabi The ambiance of this place felt more like a cafeteria after leaving the fancier,Ā cozier decor of the previous restaurant but I also liked the casual vibe of this place
And I couldĀ imagine stopping here often after work or for a quick lunch if I lived in Kyoto I just got myĀ three set with the ebi, uni ikura, and otoro or at least chutoro? My first bite of uni with ikura was delightful followed by chutoro, ebi, scallop, and squid All pretty good
And I had to get another order of justĀ uni and yellowtail and they both look so good That is incredibly creamy it almost has likeĀ a sticky texture, itās so creamy Iām so full I really wanted to end the meal with tamagoĀ but I was incredibly full at this point So my final thoughts
I really enjoyed MoriMoriĀ and itās almost comparable to a decent sushi restaurant in Los Angeles But there was aĀ recognizable difference in the quality of fish from Sushi Ginza Onedera Youāre definitelyĀ going to get a more premium cut of fish at the first restaurant, so the price difference isĀ pretty justified
I will say though, both the rice texture and fish flavor was a bit disappointingĀ for me for a premium restaurant But all in all, I really enjoyed the whole experience at SushiĀ Ginza Onedera I would visit both places again, though Iād probably go to MoriMori forĀ a quick lunch instead of dinner
I hope you found this video useful Either way, visitingĀ a kaiten sushi restaurant is a fun experience you should try at least once in Japan ThankĀ you for watching Please like and subscribe, and check out my other videos from this trip Links in the description See you next time!