The best Kaiten sushi in Tokyo: A Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera review

One of the things everyone should eat in Japan is sushi. That’s obvious. But there are different types of sushi experiences in the land of the rising sun. There are three-Michelin-starred omakase restaurants where perfectionist chefs place piece after piece of crafted nigiri showcasing the highest quality cuts of fish and perfectly seasoned rice in front of you. There’s mom and pop sushi places and sushi served in bars. There’s sushi in train stations and grocery stores. But one of the greatest dining experiences you can have in Japan is going for kaiten sushi or conveyor belt sushi. And without a doubt, the best kaiten sushi in Tokyo can be found at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera.

What is kaiten sushi?

Kaiten sushi is a variety of sushi restaurant which uses conveyor belts to deliver sushi to diners. When thinking about conveyor belt sushi, many people might picture the same dried-out piece of sushi going around and around for hours on a conveyor belt with no one picking it up. In reality, at Japanese kaiten sushi restaurants, the plates have RFID tracking devices to ensure that it hasn’t been on the belt for too long as well as a see-through plastic cover on top which prevents the pieces from acquiring germs as they move through the restaurant.

But, if the idea of grabbing a piece off the conveyor belt still doesn’t appeal to you (don’t worry, I’m the same way), you can put in special orders via a tablet which are delivered directly to you. At a kaiten sushi restaurant, you’ll also likely a hot water tap and a small container of matcha powder to make your own green tea, and I love how you don’t have to wait for a server to pour your first cup of tea!

What sets Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera apart?

Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera is owned by the Ginza Onodera group of restaurants, which is famous for operating Michelin-starred omakase restaurants across the globe with locations in Honolulu, Los Angeles and Shanghai, in addition to its honten (main branch) in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo. Their name frequently comes up when talking about the most delicious, prestigious, illustrious, and expensive omakase restaurants you can visit. Put simply, they know what they’re doing when it comes to sushi. This becomes apparent very quickly when you open up the tablet and see the selection of fish available for order.

While standards like salmon and yellow tail are available, rarer species of fish and shellfish such as baby sea bream, abalone, red clam and king mackerel are available. And the tuna, which as with any sushi restaurant worth its salt is bluefin, is Yamayuki branded. Yamayuki is known as the king of tuna at the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo and typically, the bluefin tuna in which he deals is sold to the highest-end restaurants in Japan, so I was absolutely shocked when I saw his name on the menu. The tuna was indeed incredible and was more delicious than some pieces I’ve had in high-end omakase restaurants in Tokyo.

Any sushi chef will tell you that the most important thing in sushi is the shari, or sushi rice. In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the use of red vinegar when making sushi rice. Chefs will either combine it with regular white rice vinegar or in rare cases, they will use only red vinegar. I believe that a mix is used at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera but it was definitely heavy on the red vinegar, which gives the rice an earthiness as well as sourness. All of these things put together help to place Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera apart.

What are the different seating options at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera?

There are two seating areas at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera. There is the main dining room where there are a couple of booths and then counter seating around the conveyor belt. Oddly enough, the conveyor belt didn’t have any sushi running on it either time I was there, only signs advertising various fish. At first, I thought it was a time-of-day thing, but then I went during peak timing on a Sunday and it still wasn’t going, so I’m not sure what that was about.

The other option is sitting in a smaller, more exclusive room at a sushi bar. The prices are slightly more expensive, there are a couple of other items not available in the main room, the chefs are slightly more attentive and doctor up your pieces of sushi a little more with things like grated yuzu peel. It’s a little closer to the traditional omakase experience. I ate at both and actually enjoyed the main room more. I would advise seeing which room has the shortest wait and just dining there.

Where should you go if the line at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera is too long?

I ate at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera twice during my last trip to Japan. The first time was during a weekday at a bit of an odd time in the afternoon, at 2:00 or 3:00 PM, a few hours after the lunch hour rush had likely come through. The second time was on Sunday in the middle of the lunch rush and I had to wait for nearly two hours.

Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera Honten is located in the stylish Tokyo neighborhood of Ometosando where everyone you see is fashionable and the people watching is great. You can take a number and take a walk around the neighborhood. There’s a great gourmet grocery store called Kinokinuya International just down the street.

Or, you can ditch the plan altogether and head to another conveyor belt sushi restaurant like Sushi Ro, equally fun, and a bit cheaper but a bit of a step down in quality. There are many locations all around Japan and definitely has a consistency factor which can be counted on.

The bottom line?

My dining partner and I enjoyed lunch for less than $100, even after he ordered a sea urchin sampler, one of the most expensive menu items, which allows the diner to try green sea urchin, purple sea urchin, and sea urchin stored in salt water, instead of dry with the use of alum as a preservative. The USD-JPY exchange rate really helped out, and it boggled my mind that one of the best pieces of bluefin tuna nigiri I’ve had in recent memory was just 400 JPY ($2.64). If you are looking for a quick sushi lunch with quality that rivals significantly more expensive sushi locations, Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera is the place for you. Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera also has locations in Kyoto and Osaka, so keep that in mind if you wind up in either of those cities on your trip.

My go-to credit card when paying for meals at restaurants is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. By using this card at restaurants, you’ll get triple points on your bill.