“(Revolving sushi) is ubiquitous in Japan, but many people in the world still don’t know about it. I want them to feel the excitement of a sushi-go-round,” Hiroyuki Okamoto, chief communications officer of Kura Sushi, said at a press conference in Osaka.
The company is also developing special menus for diners from around the world who will take part in the exhibitions of the World Exposition, slated for April 13 to Oct 13 next year on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay.
In line with the expo’s push for sustainability, the sushi chain operator based in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, will reuse some 336,000 blood clam shells that were to be disposed of to create the outer walls of the new restaurant.
Automated revolving sushi restaurants are said to have been popularised at the World Expo 1970 held in Osaka Prefecture.
In 2023, the revolving sushi industry attracted unwanted headlines in Japan and abroad after customers posted footage online of them licking soy sauce bottles and touching dishes traveling on conveyor belts in supposed social media pranks.
As a result, it is becoming common for sushi restaurants to only offer dishes on a conveyor belt at the request of customers, rather than allowing them to choose from various items as they pass.
Kura Sushi, the only major operator that still has all items running on conveyor belts, now uses AI-powered cameras to monitor sushi plates covered with protective covers to prevent tampering.
