Sushi ordering guide
There are three completely different ways to eat sushi in Japan, and they work nothing alike. Pick your format first — everything else follows.
1. Kaiten （回転） — conveyor-belt sushi
The easiest entry point. Plates circulate on a belt; grab what looks good. Plate colors = prices (check the chart on the table). Modern chains use touch panels with an English button — order and it arrives by mini train.
- Stack finished plates; staff count them at the end.
- Wasabi and ginger are at the table; soy sauce dishes too.
- Great chains: Sushiro, Kura Sushi, Hama Sushi. Lunch for ¥1,000–1,500.
2. Counter sushi — order piece by piece
At a regular sushi counter you order one or two pieces at a time ("hitotsu" / "futatsu"). Point at the display case or the menu. Good starter order:
- まぐろ maguro — tuna · サーモン saamon — salmon
- えび ebi — shrimp · たまご tamago — sweet egg
- いくら ikura — salmon roe · うに uni — sea urchin (try it once)
3. Omakase （おまかせ) — chef's choice
"I leave it to you." The chef serves a course of 10–20 pieces. Rules: book ahead, arrive on time, eat each piece right when served, don't ask for substitutions. Prices run ¥5,000–30,000+. For a first trip, a lunch omakase (¥3,000–6,000) is the sweet spot.
Etiquette that matters
- Eat nigiri in one bite if you can.
- Dip the fish side in soy sauce, not the rice — rice soaks up too much and falls apart.
- Mixing wasabi into soy sauce is a tourist tell; the chef already put wasabi in the nigiri.
- Ginger （がり gari) is a palate cleanser between pieces, not a topping.