This conveyor-belt Sushi thing.
 

When my wife and I were in London last month, I wanted to take her for Sushi, (one of her faves, though not mine). There was a place called Itsu in So. Ken. that I had read about that ended up being two blocks from our hotel. It was the conveyor-belt thing, which I had never seen before. It was great, even for a reluctant participant like me, because you could really check each dish out as it went past, and if you weren't sure, you could just let it go around again! We loved it, and it is the definition of fast food. Sit down, grab, and start eating. We live in Washington DC, and had never heard of this concept. Is it everywhere, and I'm just not aware because Sushi isn't on my radar?

Conveyor belt sushi places are common in the Northwest--I can think of at least two in the Portland, OR, area. They're becoming more popular in Europe. I've also seen them in Paris, off the Champs Elysees, and in Basel, Switzerland. <BR>I'm not a big fan of conveyor belt sushi; I prefer to sit at the sushi bar and order directly, but they're fine for a quick, casual sushi meal. <BR>I don't see them here in Brussels, but this isn't really a sushi town :-(<BR>BTilke (Brussels)

I don't know about everywhere, but I've eaten at them in San Francisco and Beijing.

Couple of places here in LA that I frequent when I want a quick mean after work. I prefer fresh, made to order sushi, but this is a good substitute when time is an issue.

The conveyor belt sushi is called kaiten (literally 'reolving ' ) in Japan. Usually kaiten sushi is the lower end of the market but consequently, it's often very inexpensive . It's a great way to try out different things, and I find it fun to sit there and watch as all the little dishes pass by.. then snagging the ones I want. *S*

SF has had a boat version for at least 20 years...a group of small boats strung back to front and floating around a moat surrounding the guys making it. It is fun, however I too prefer it made fresh.

Revolving!!! LOL Sorry for the typo.

I LOVE kaiten! It is considered a type of fast food in Japan and during lunch time and weekends the little shops are packed. I loved going to them in Tokyo when I had less than 1000 yen in my wallet and 15 minutes to eat (if there wasn't a wait to sit down). It's great for people, like me, who are picky about their sushi and only want one or two specific kinds. In some shops I would request my favorites and the chefs would oblige--I'm happy to know they are hitting the States (I haven't seen one here, yet)!

When we lived in Japan we ate at this type of sushi restaurant. It was fun and easy, especially because we did not have to know what to ask for, we just selected it from the belt. This was 20 years ago.

AJS: check out Matuba in Bethesda -- they have the conveyor belt thing; the only other place I've been to with revolving boats is in Japantown in San Franciso

It was a faded food trend in Toronto, has been around for about 15 years.

This type of sushi presentation is even available in the midwest. We have it in Minneapolis. Makes for a fun dining experience. Fast and good.

Anyone know any in the Philadelphia area?