I visited for the first time in a few years around 12 o'clock on a weekday and was seated right away. From check-in to payment, everything can be done by self-service. The appearance may not be the best, but that's okay. However, it seems like the taste has declined... I won't be returning. The sushi itself is quite large! I was surprised because I had only been to other conveyor belt sushi chains. It might be good for those who want to eat a lot and quickly without face-to-face interaction.

I went to the popular conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Kura Sushi. I wasn't specifically looking for any promotions this time, I just wanted to eat sushi! The restaurant was quite crowded, but the fish was very fresh with a strong sweetness overall. It seemed like they had a good variety of fresh and delicious sushi that was easy to eat and kept the meal enjoyable.

I used to often go to the Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi store, but this one (Ikebukuro Sunshine 60-dori store) is less crowded and closer to home, so I've been coming here recently. It may be a trivial matter, but this store has better cell phone reception compared to the Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi store. The Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi store is underground, so my au phone had almost no signal in some seats. It was inconvenient to communicate with my wife via LINE about what to order for takeout (laughs). By the way, this time, my child said he wanted to eat potato fries, but I couldn't find them even after searching on the touch panel. Huh? No potato fries!? I thought there used to be a menu item called "Morimori Potato." I usually decide whether to drink alcohol at Kura Sushi based on my mood after sitting down, and today I felt like drinking, so I ordered a draft beer (laughs). Well, I rarely feel like not drinking though. It's midday, but it's okay on Saturdays since the company is closed. At Kura Sushi, there is a menu item called "Pale Ale (Craft Beer)" (tax included 680 yen). When ordering the first glass, I think, "Well, Pilsner is the usual beer for sushi," but when it comes to ordering the second glass, I feel like, "Yeah, Pale Ale might be good with sushi!" It's strange. This Pale Ale only says "Craft Beer," and it's a Pale Ale from "TOKYO Sumida River Brewing," which is a brand by Asahi Breweries. Kura Sushi's natto roll used to be cut into two pieces, but now it's left as one piece. But this has more visual impact. My child was eating it by grabbing it with both hands. I ordered squid (I like squid) and appetizers as usual and enjoyed eating them. At that time, an unfamiliar sushi called "Unagi Liver Gunkan" passed by in front of me. I impulsively reached out and got it. "Unagi liver for 125 yen? Really?" I thought, but when I tried it, it had the unique bitterness of eel liver. The liver was quite large. This is delicious. Beer goes well with it. I had a second serving of this "Unagi Liver Gunkan" because it was so good. The second one was ordered from the touch panel. The liver was warm this time, and it was even more delicious. For the third glass, I switched back to regular draft beer and had another serving of eel liver (laughs). How much am I going to eat? Among the menu items I ate today, the broccoli salad (which I often order) and the Unagi Liver Gunkan were exceptionally delicious. The "Yuzu Pickled Squid" was also good. For dessert, I tried the "Sesame-scented Tantan Men" (tax included 480 yen). The noodles were smooth and delicious (this is common in Kura Sushi's ramen menu), but the satisfaction as Tantan Men was not that high. The soup for Tantan Men, with a base of bonito soy sauce similar to ramen, might be best to just order a regular soy sauce ramen. As I continued eating and thinking about it, the sesame sauce was solidified at the bottom of the bowl. It might not have been an accurate evaluation without it being completely mixed. Well, it can't be helped. Thank you for the meal!

After a long time, I checked in at "Kura Sushi" and noticed that they have renewed their plates, which made me feel the evolution (lol). I started off with a 3-piece "Hokkaido king crab" set with "claw meat, leg meat, and shredded meat" to enjoy the crab. It was a "tuna day" and I started with the classic "premium aged fatty tuna" which had a great richness. Then, I had a "plenty of sea urchin hand roll" with big leaf, rice, and sea urchin on top of nori. I dipped it in soy sauce and paired it with the "Japanese firefly squid marinated in the Sea of Japan," which had a perfect balance of bitterness and flavor. At 11 o'clock, they started selling alcohol, so I enjoyed some "Asahi Super Dry" with a special chashu croquette as a snack. For the second act, I had the addictive "flying fish roe" and the irresistible "ark shell" with plenty of conger eel and cucumber wrapped in seaweed, known as the "plenty of conger eel and cucumber hand roll." Of course, I couldn't forget the classic "premium aged fatty tuna" and the refreshing "big leaf squid." I also had another piece of "tuna" that I can't remember the name of. To finish the feast, I had the ultimate favorite, the "tamago yaki." If you want to enjoy delicious food at a reasonable price, "Kura Sushi" is amazing. I had a delicious meal.

The reception is a touch panel. Go to the seat indicated on the paper printed out. It's high-tech. I've been to Kura Sushi a few times, but this time I found out they have a lunch set. I wonder why I didn't notice it before. So, I ordered a lunch set. Every piece of sushi was delicious and satisfying. Kura Sushi is known for its creative ideas, but I think all their dishes are delicious enough.

I went on a lunch date with my husband at Kura Sushi! I didn't know you could make reservations there! Thanks to my husband, we were able to get in smoothly (*^^*). I wanted a green highball but they didn't have it (> <)(> <)! So, I tried the limited edition Yuzu Sour at Kura Sushi. I won a prize after spinning the roulette five times, it was a piece of Anago sushi! It was unexpectedly fluffy and delicious, and the broth was perfect for soup lovers ＼(^o^)／!! The broth had a nice aroma and was only 110 yen, what a great deal~♡♡ One new discovery for me this time was the broccoli! It had onion dressing on top, and underneath was a seafood salad ＼(^o^)／♡♡ I thought it was just regular potato salad at first. I really loved the surf clam salad-like dish, I even went for seconds. Haha! Also, a must-try at Kura Sushi is their fried potato! It's a bit different from regular fries, more like Karaage-style. It's crispy on the outside but moist and fluffy on the inside. I really love their potatoes here! I think I might get hooked on drinking at Kura Sushi (๑´ڡ`๑)

My friend made a reservation in advance, and on the day, we went to Sunshine 60 and on our way back, we decided to stop by "Kura Sushi Sunshine Street Store". We entered our reservation number at the entrance and waited for our number to be called. Despite the crowded waiting room, our number was called in less than a minute. It was really helpful that my friend made the reservation for us. When we were seated, we saw a QR code on the touch panel, allowing us to order directly from our smartphones. It's a system unique to the COVID-19 era. We both scanned the QR code and ordered our favorite drinks and sushi. On the conveyor belt where the sushi flows slowly, there was another high-speed lane that delivered our orders quickly. When we ordered bottled beer, the Super Dry beer arrived on a boat-shaped container through the high-speed lane. The sushi we ordered included cherry snapper, yellowtail, fatty tuna, tuna, sardine, horse mackerel, spear squid, shrimp avocado, shrimp tempura, and more. Among the budget-friendly conveyor belt sushi restaurants, I believe Kura Sushi has the best ideas and flavors. Thank you for the meal.

As popular as ever with full house. Make sure to make a reservation in advance to avoid long waits. Discovered the deliciousness of the fatty salmon this time. It has a soft texture with a good amount of fat, and absolutely no fishy smell. As always, the fact that it's only 100 yen per plate is much appreciated.

Located in a busy area near the Tokyu Hands building, this restaurant seems to get crowded on weekends. I went on a weekday and there was no wait, but I noticed a large waiting area. I decided to have sushi for lunch and enjoyed about 10 plates of my favorite tuna. The taste was reliably good as always at Kura Sushi. The tuna seemed to be thicker and more delicious than usual. I also got lucky with a "Bikkura Pon" surprise. There was a crew from Go To Eat doing interviews, so it seems like a popular spot for friends, solo diners, and families alike.

Bikkurapon didn't hit, but almost everything being 100 yen per plate is still amazing. The rice balls are on the smaller side, so you end up ordering more plates, which might increase the average customer spending, but it's great because you get to try a variety of dishes. Just one thing, the bonito tataki was so hard that it went beyond chewy and was almost like ice. Maybe it was so popular that they didn't have time to thaw it properly?

Ikebukuro dining building, along with the popular restaurant "Shabu-ya" by Skylark on the same floor. No matter when you go, there is always a huge waiting line, with a "What's COVID?" kind of atmosphere. The high level of completion in customer-oriented packaging is a win. As a consumer, it offers a sense of safety, cleanliness in the store, stress-free customer service with the right use of technology, spacious and relaxing seating, fast order to serving speed, and cost-effectiveness. There are almost no blind spots! How will they think about evolving from here... It seems challenging to create new jobs from here, isn't it?

I went to a kura sushi in Ikebukuro, where there is no contact with the staff and the reception machine is touchless. When I entered, there was a terminal with a LCD monitor for reception. It said there was a 79-minute wait, so I hesitated whether to stop or not, but since I had come all the way, I decided to wait. I tried to operate the touchless panel by bringing my finger close, but it didn't respond until my finger actually touched the monitor. It seemed to be malfunctioning. I received a reception number and prepared myself for a long wait, but I was called in less than 10 minutes. I guess it's faster when you're alone. I checked in using a non-touchless terminal and followed the instructions on the monitor to my seat. Just as I was about to order, a staff member came to explain. So there is some contact after all. However, that was the only interaction until I left the restaurant. You can place orders on the monitor in front of you or on your own smartphone. To order with your own smartphone, you scan the QR code on the monitor in front of you. I tried both methods, and being able to order at your own pace was comfortable. I ordered some non-alcoholic beer and a few pieces of sushi. The most delicious was the sardine. For payment, you scan the barcode at the unmanned register, then choose your payment method. I used PayPay this time, scanned the barcode on my smartphone, and the payment was completed. The touchless operation was only available at the entrance reception, and since it was malfunctioning, my visit was a bit disappointing.

I visited the Nozomi Sushi Sunshine 60-dori store in Ikebukuro. After entering the restaurant and checking in, I waited a bit as it was a bit crowded. When my number was called, I was seated at a table. I ordered my favorite salmon sushi from the panel menu and enjoyed its soft and delicious taste. I also tried sweet shrimp, sea urchin, squid, and raw shrimp sushi, all of which were delicious. I shared croquettes and chicken nuggets with my friend, and we enjoyed a variety of dishes. It was a great meal. Thank you.

Sushi 100 yen plates x4 400 yen Sushi 200 yen plate x1 200 yen Shrimp tempura udon 280 yen Spaghetti Carbonara 380 yen Consumption tax 101 yen Total 1371 yen It was past 3 pm on a weekday, so I thought I could easily find a seat, but when I checked in, there was a 15-minute wait. I had to wait since I had come up in the elevator. They were selling a hamburger for 280 yen, which caught my eye, but I didn't order it. Overall, the sushi was just okay. It was rice shaped by a machine with toppings on it. I saw quite a few foreign customers, but I hope they don't think this is representative of Japanese sushi. I wonder if Kura Sushi was always like this... (100 yen plates) Yellowtail with yuzu, Hamachi, Shrimp tempura sushi, Gratin-style grilled shrimp (200 yen plate) Deluxe sweet shrimp hand roll Shrimp tempura udon... The most decent dish I ordered this time. Spaghetti Carbonara... Doesn't taste like Carbonara at all. A unique flavor of ramen. In terms of taste, it's the latter - not delicious.

Today, the Team Ashika headed to Ikebukuro after a long time! We planned to visit the Sunshine Aquarium to see the seals, but it was quite crowded, so we had to give up. For an early dinner option, we decided on conveyor belt sushi! However, seals weren't really in the mood for sushi. Oh, there are other options besides sushi? Burgers and noodles are also plentiful at Kura Sushi, so that's where we went! The restaurant was almost empty around 5 o'clock. The ticket machine at the entrance showed availability only after 8 pm, but we could just choose at the counter. We were quickly seated at a table and ordered a Kura Fish Burger. The fish patty had a ginger-flavored teriyaki sauce, crispy freshly fried onion rings, and cheese that held everything together nicely. It was a high-quality burger! We also tried the Black Wagyu Creamy Croquette, which had a creamy croquette with a hint of minced beef. It was a good snack with beer! Just these dishes already made us a little full. Shall we have a bit of sushi too? We tried the fresh sea urchin, which surprisingly had a good sea urchin flavor without using limited preservatives. It was better with salt than soy sauce! We also had a refill of large salmon roe, which had a satisfying popping texture. The aged fatty tuna was thickly sliced and had a nice balance of fat. The luxurious three kinds of eel included a liver ship that had a strong flavor, a large cut piece with a satisfying texture, and a balanced mountain eel. We also tried making hand rolls with plenty of green onion and tuna, which was a bit challenging but had a crispy nori and delicious flavor. Despite planning to finish with cold tantan noodles, we were too full to order it. Nonetheless, the members of Team Ashika were still eager to eat, with no signs of summer fatigue. Stay tuned for the next barbecue event!

[About the restaurant] Kura Sushi has only two stores in the metropolitan terminal station area, Ikebukuro Higashi-guchi store and Sunshine 60-dori store. This may be why it always seems crowded. I once tried to go to the Higashi-guchi store on a weekend but the line was unbelievable so I gave up. This time, to avoid the crowds, I made a reservation and visited on a weekday. We were seated right on time for our reservation. Everything from check-in, number calling, to seating is automated, so you enter and sit down without talking to anyone. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is bright and open, surprisingly spacious, with table box seats lined up all the way to the back. Due to the location, there are many young people, including students. [Taste review] Food eaten and impressions (◎○△✕) Cold Bukkake Chiku Tempura Udon: The hot spring egg comes separately and flies in (lol). Noteworthy is the chikuwa tempura. It's hot and crispy, and I could eat just the chiku tempura all day (lol). The udon is cool, and it tastes even better when mixed with the egg. For this price, it's quite good. Medium Fatty Tuna: As praised on a certain TV show, it's thick and has large pieces. Large Salmon Roe: The grains are large and rich! Conger Eel Tempura: Limited time offer. It's conger eel cut into small bones and made into tempura. It looks like fried chicken, but the taste is definitely conger eel. The pieces are large and satisfying to eat. Salmon with Salmon Roe: Compared to the large salmon roe, the salmon roe here is smaller and less. Horse Mackerel: Average Grilled Eel: I ate 6 plates, and there was too much variation in the size of the meat. (The photo shows the best one) It has shiso in it, but it's cut into small pieces. If the meat doesn't have more width and thickness, you can't taste the deliciousness of the eel. (I love eel, so this is a harsh criticism, my companion said it was just delicious) Cod Milt with Ponzu Jelly: There's more cod milt than I expected. Fried Potato: Crispy and light batter, not starchy. It made me wonder what kind of potatoes I had been eating before, as this was the most delicious I've had in restaurants like family restaurants or fast food places. Dreamy Fluffy Snow (shaved ice): As the name suggests, it's fluffy and light shaved ice. It's great that you can choose whether to have condensed milk or not. The strawberry has strawberry fruit in the syrup for a natural sweetness. The matcha has white balls and red beans with the bitterness of matcha, a taste for adults. Both have more volume than expected for 280 yen each. Overall, the restaurant is bright and clean. The food is delicious. Despite the "eel being too small" issue, I am satisfied for this price. I will go back to eat the chiku tempura and fried potatoes (not sushi, huh).

When I turned on the TV, there was a show where the head chef of a sushi restaurant tried out the top 10 dishes chosen by 500 employees of Kura Sushi. Intrigued, I decided to visit Kura Sushi for the first time. There were seven head chefs: Sugu, Yamada, Kaji, Kuroroku, Kuon, Harada, and Yasuhide. I ordered the dishes according to the ranking chosen by the employees and they were all lined up on the table. It was quite a sight, especially considering each dish was only 100 or 200 yen. 10th place: Orange Salmon (Chef: Pass) Verdict: Wow, the citrus aroma is amazing, followed by a refreshing salmon flavor. Delicious! 9th place: Iberico Pork Toro (Chef: Pass) Verdict: Tasty, but the sauce is a bit too sweet. Still, good for 100 yen. 8th place: Red Shrimp (Chef: Pass) Verdict: The shrimp is firm and rich in flavor. Really delicious for the price. 7th place: Freshly Fried Shrimp Tempura Hand Roll (Chef: Fail) Verdict: It's tempura, not a hand roll. Mayonnaise lovers might enjoy it. 6th place: Thick Toro Mackerel (Chef: Fail) Verdict: The mackerel is decent, but the vinegar is too strong and lacks the right balance. 5th place: Seared Eel (Chef: Pass) Verdict: Delicious and fragrant. A steal for 200 yen. 4th place: Large Salmon Roe (Chef: Pass) Verdict: The texture is great and it's delicious. A good deal for 200 yen. 3rd place: Aged Tuna (Chef: Fail) Verdict: Lacks aroma, strong fishy taste, and dry texture. Disappointing. 2nd place: Yellowtail (Chef: Fail) Verdict: No aroma, too fatty, and lacks flavor. 1st place: Aged Toro (Chef: Pass) Verdict: Average taste, could be improved. Overall, it was a fun experience. I also tried other dishes like Grilled Toro Mackerel (Fail), Lemon Flounder (Pass), Seared Thick Cut Cod (Neutral), Toro Flounder (Pass), Blowfish with Kelp (Neutral), Sea Urchin Seafood Battleship (Fail), and Cold Spicy Sesame Noodles (Neutral). Despite some misses, the total bill for one person was 2200 yen, making it a decent value. The flavors were okay overall, with standout dishes being the red shrimp, orange salmon, lemon flounder, and eel.

"KURA BURGER" offers a "Meat" burger for 250 yen ♥️ The buns are made with a combination of rice flour and black vinegar, making them fluffy and sweet. They also include fried onions, which surprisingly taste great ♥️ They also have a "Fish" burger made with 100% domestically sourced natural fish, which I might try next time (●´∀｀●)♥️ Some dishes cost 200 yen per plate or 1 piece, but generally, it's 2 pieces for 100 yen, which is a reasonable price setting (≧∀≦)ノ♥️ They also offer seasonal items like "Raw Sakura Shrimp," "Firefly Squid with Yuzu Soy Sauce," and "Boiled Crab." The "Thick-cut Medium Fatty Tuna" and "Marinated Bonito" offer a satisfying eating experience. I enjoyed it very much ♥️ (〃´o｀)=3

I learned for the first time that it is possible to choose not to play "Bikkurapon". It was a bit embarrassing when I tried the challenge with 5 plates during solo sushi dining. The noise level of the game varies depending on the restaurant or the ambient noise on the floor, and sometimes it feels disturbingly loud. I try to ignore it when alone, as it may lead to unnecessary competition with nearby children. Also, putting plates in at once may trigger the game to start 3 times in a row, revealing how many plates someone has eaten and making things awkward. This restaurant in Ikebukuro East is the second store I have visited. I have always preferred Kura Sushi since the time when there were only about three stores in the 23 wards, including Shinagawa, Oizumi, and Adachi Aoi. Back then, Kappa Sushi was dominant, and Sushiro was just starting to emerge. In my opinion, Kura Sushi had a much better impression compared to Kappa Sushi. Although Sushiro has expanded in terms of the number of stores and menu options, I still believe that Kura Sushi maintains the quality of its ingredients. The recent struggles of Kura Sushi are likely due to the variety of menu options, originality, service, and number of stores, but I am not too concerned. Ultimately, I trust that a restaurant offering high-quality food will not lose out in the end. By looking at the websites of each company, it is clear that Kura Sushi prioritizes the best domestic ingredients. I have outgrown the mentality of "anything tasty is good" and am not sure why Chinese coffee beans are so popular at Starbucks, as I grew up with Nescafe Gold Blend. Therefore, I prefer Tully's and Pronto. I sat at the counter. It's not as cool as it sounds, but rather lonely at Kura Sushi. It had been a while since my last visit, and as it was late, I expected to be seated immediately, which turned out to be true. However, that was the only positive aspect. I started with a glass of draft beer and then had saury, horse mackerel, yellowtail, and marinated tuna. Yellowtail is always delicious. I also tried a single piece of yellowtail belly, which was excellent. Then I had squid, octopus, mackerel, and followed with yellowtail with sudachi lime. It seemed like one piece could easily be two due to the size of the fish. This was also very tasty. When my beer ran out, I ordered my usual: a 130 yen plain udon and 108 yen onion rings, which I call onion ring udon. It's great. I then continued with scallop, aged fatty tuna, and thick-cut fatty mackerel. I finished off with miso soup with seaweed. This time, I tried many single pieces that I don't usually go for, so the total came to just over 2,000 yen. Normally, I can have a satisfying meal for under 1,000 yen without drinks. The only non-Japanese ingredients in the dishes I ordered were the octopus from Morocco and the aged tuna from Australia or New Zealand.

Child: ○ Baby stroller: ○ Made a temporary reservation on EPARK the day before, Sunday 11:50. Waited about 10 minutes to be seated. Recently, the most important factor for choosing a lunch spot is whether they can accommodate a baby stroller, so I have only been going to Sushiro and McDonald's every week. It's hard to get into Kura Sushi even if you go on the same day. But I wanted to compare it with Sushiro, so I made a reservation on EPARK the day before. In the past, I used to have quick lunches alone at Kura Sushi when I found it on business trips, just like Sushiro. It's been a while. The tuna was delicious. The sushi pieces were also impressively large. However, there wasn't anything that made me want to eat more. The restaurant felt dark compared to Sushiro, maybe because it's old. I realized that I prefer Sushiro.