【Reading】かいてんすし

【English Name】Conveyor belt sushi

Conveyor-belt sushi (kaiten-zushi) refers to a unique serving format in which small plates of sushi are arranged on a belt conveyor and circulated around the shop, with customers freely taking them at their seats. Its birth was in 1958 (Showa 33); the starting point was when Yoshiaki Shiraishi, having taken a hint from the production line of a beer factory, founded "Mawaru Genroku Sushi" in Fuse City, Osaka Prefecture (present-day Higashiosaka City).

The method of classifying prices by the color or pattern of each plate and settling the bill by the number of plates after eating became widely established. Compared to counter-style sushi restaurants, the often casual price setting attracted a wide range of customers, and its name recognition rose nationwide upon its presence at the 1970 Osaka Expo. In 1978, when the utility-model rights reached expiration, new entrants followed one after another, and the industry achieved rapid growth.

Manufacturing of the conveyors is concentrated within Ishikawa Prefecture, and two companies—Ishino Seisakusho with about 60% share and Nihon Crescent with about 40%—handle the entire demand. The market size in fiscal 2021 reached about 740 billion yen.

From 2023 onward, in response to nuisance behavior and food loss, the move to discontinue the circulating operation of conveyors and shift to a "full-order system," in which items are selected by touch panel and delivered via a dedicated lane, spread. As of that year, it was reported that about 80% had adopted this format.