News Kura Sushi Global Flagship Store Ginza opened, luring foreign tourists

[thomas]

Kura Sushi, a prominent conveyor belt sushi chain, is luring international tourists to its new location in the sophisticated Ginza area of Tokyo, offering an array of affordable sushi options. The Kura Sushi Global Flagship Store Ginza launched recently at the end of April, becoming the first significant kaiten sushi establishment in the neighbourhood and aiming to draw in global visitors with this venture.

According to a company spokesperson, half of the patrons at the Ginza store are from overseas. Kura Sushi aspired for them to use the touch screen to place orders and to experience the excitement of choosing sushi directly from the conveyor belt. The eatery accommodates 242 guests and features a 123-meter circulating track, the longest in the company's history.

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The restaurant's interior is reminiscent of the Edo Period and features stalls where chefs make sushi, tempura and dango dishes. Prices at Kura Sushi vary depending on the location of the restaurant. At the cheapest outlets, prices start at 115 JPY (USD0.74) per plate, including tax. At the Ginza restaurant, which is the most expensive establishment, prices start at 150 JPY per plate. The menu includes expensive, limited items, such as "tokujo nigiri kura kura," which is 1,800 JPY, including tax. Today's most common conveyor-belt sushi chain restaurant is a "lane type," which uses a lane to deliver ordered sushi and other items directly to customers' seats. Kura Sushi is the only chain in Japan and abroad that still uses a rotating conveyor belt on which various sushi dishes are placed for customers to view and pick up while also having a lane to deliver orders to customers. A QR code is attached to each revolving plate cover, and cameras equipped with artificial intelligence are installed in the seats. The company uses such technology to predict what customers will likely order and then place the items on the lane where they are expected to order.

Kura Sushi opens first outlet in Ginza, luring foreign tourists | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[mdchachi]

We might actually go there next month. I'd gladly pay the super premium price of Y150/plate. That's essentially an all-you-can-eat price.
The Kura Sushi near me charges over $3.50 a plate now.