We put At-home Sushi Party goods from Japanese 300-yen store 3 Coins to the test.

While 100-yen stores like Daiso have become world-famous, a similar chain called 3 Coins (where most items are priced at 300 yen) has a whole lot of fans in Japan. Known for its themed collections, which tend to sell at higher price points, 3 Coins products often sell out immediately after being released, and that looks to be the case with their latest “At-Home Sushi Party” series.

The range includes a wide variety of items like sushi oke (wooden sushi rice tubs) and sushi geta (wooden stands for sushi) so you can recreate the look of a sushi restaurant at home, but the standout product amongst them all is the Electric Sushi Kit, which is priced at 2,200 yen (US$15.66).

This gadget lets you enjoy conveyor belt sushi at home, and it runs on three AA batteries, although they aren’t included in the pack so you’ll have to source them separately. The main unit is about the size of an open A4 notebook, making it perfect for tabletop use, and the plates are so tiny and adorable that it led us to question…

▼ …can you really fit sushi on them?

Before we put that question to the test, we took a quick look at the toy parts, where we learned that the white discs that make up the belt can be removed for cleaning.

▼ The discs are the main parts that are likely to get dirty, so it’s good that they can be washed after each use.

Now it’s time to put the toy to the test. Although you could just place some store-bought sushi on the plates, we decided to make our own, seeing as we’d picked up a Silicone Sushi Rice Mould from the store for 330 yen.

Plus, we wanted to try a little-known hack we’d heard about, because at conveyor belt restaurant chain Sushiro, you can order just the vinegared rice, or “shari” for takeout, and if you pay online, your order will be waiting in their automated pickup lockers for you to pick up at your convenience.

The pickup process was easy, and with the rice already seasoned by the chain, all we had to do was press the fluffy grains into the silicone mould.

▼ Press the rice in firmly for best results.

As the mould is made of silicone, it’s soft and easy to handle, and there’s a slit in the back so you can easily push the rice out with your fingers.

▼ Popping them out, we had five beautifully shaped rice mounds ready to go.

If the mounds require a little more shaping, you can wet your hands or pop on a glove to prevent the grains from sticking to your skin.

With the rice done, all that’s left to do is pop on the toppings, or “neta” as they’re known in Japanese, which you can pick up at the supermarket.

▼ We also whipped up some seaweed-wrapped gunkan maki, with various fillings like minced tuna.

Now for the exciting part — setting the sushi on the plates. These plates are very light and can fly off easily, so it’s better to arrange the plates on the conveyor belt first, then place the sushi on top of them.

With the batteries already in the machine, we nervously pressed the start button. The motor whirred to life, and then…

▼ …the plates begin to revolve on the belt, before our very eyes!

It was exciting to see the colourful plates of sushi spinning around, and the smoothness of the turns, due to the clever disc design, was mesmerising. The small plates are packed closely together, though, so it can be a bit tricky to grab a plate without disturbing the others, but it’s also a fun way to test your dexterity.

Lifting the entire plate off the belt, we set it on the table like we would at a conveyor belt restaurant, and when we went to pick the sushi up with our chopsticks, we were pleasantly surprised at how well the piece held together.

The sushi tasted great, and the flavour seemed even better for having been on the fun conveyor belt setup. When we went to pick up the next piece, though, we discovered an easier way to take the plates off the belt.

By simply grabbing the sushi with the chopsticks, the food and the plate came off much more easily than trying to pick the plate up with our fingers.

▼ Another delicious morsel.

Making your own sushi is satisfying in so many ways — not only is it fun to do, but buying sashimi from the supermarket is cheaper than eating out, and you can choose all sorts of creative toppings like tuna mayo, spicy cod roe, and even ham and cheese, giving you full creative freedom over what you eat.

There are 10 plates on the conveyor belt in total, so you can serve 10 pieces of sushi at once, which feels just about right for an adult with an average appetite. You can always add more sushi on the plates if you prepare them ahead of time though, so you can extend the party to your heart’s, and stomach’s, content.

While the setup works well for a party of one, more dining companions will add even more fun to the experience, as you can jostle for your favourites and watch the smiles of delight on everyone’s faces as the plates roll by. It’s an exciting way to enjoy sushi at home, and the kit can be purchased at 3 Coins stores around Japan and online, while stocks last.

Related: 3 Coins Official Site
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