Conveyor belt sushi goes upmarket with premium fish you won’t get at regular chains.

When it comes to conveyor belt sushi chains, Kura Sushi is one of the top four in Japan, alongside Kappa Sushi, Sushiro, and Hama Sushi. Out of these four, it’s also one of the most innovative, keen to break away from the pack with new menu items and ventures, and its latest offering is a series of high-end branches known as “Muten Kura”.

“Muten” translates as “additive-free,” indicating that the restaurant doesn’t use chemical seasonings, artificial sweeteners, colourings, or preservatives, with a focus on natural food and freshness.

These high-end branches of Kura Sushi were previously only located in four locations, all in suburban areas of the Kansai region in and around Osaka. But now, Muten Kura is finally making its debut in Tokyo, in a prime location about a minute’s walk from Naka-meguro Station.

We were invited to a media preview ahead of the restaurant’s official 29 May opening, so we got the train to Naka-meguro Station and took West Exit 2, navigating the maze of narrow alleys until we arrived at the location.

▼ The branch is located on the second floor.

Kura Sushi is known for its bright and bustling atmosphere, with families at booths and noise from the clatter of empty dishes that diners place into the tableside receptacle for a chance to win a gacha prize. However, the vibe at this upmarket branch is entirely different, with a dimly lit interior, quiet background music, and more spacious seating.

▼ The counter seats can also be made to be semi-private with tabletop partitions.

▼ The booth seats also offer an increased sense of privacy with pull-down screens.

The interior certainly gives off an upmarket vibe, and so too does the menu, with an overwhelming selection of alcoholic drinks to choose from. Whiskey fans will be particularly pleased with solid offerings like Yoichi, Miyagikyo, Nikka Session, and Nikka Frontier.

▼ In our opinion, Nikka Frontier is the best value whiskey in the 1,000 yen (US$7.01) range right now.

For sushi aficionados who prefer a sake pairing with their meals, sure-fire hits like Kubota and Dassai are on the menu, and there’s even a Junmai Sake Tasting Set for 980 yen.

▼The Junmai Tasting Set.

Staff say all the drinks have been chosen for their compatibility with menu items — the Harushika is particularly good with seafood, Kizakura with tempura, and Kubota with meat sushi. It’s rare to find this much variety on the drinks menu at a revolving sushi restaurant, but of course these are just a warm-up for the main event, which is…

▼ … the sushi.

Even the menu display looks fancier than what we’re used to, with a huge amount to choose from, including sashimi and tempura platters and sushi with decorative knife cuts and brushed-on dollops of dashi soy sauce.

One highly recommended item is the “Fresh Bluefin Tuna Nakaochi Set” (1,480 yen), which is only served only in limited quantities on days when it’s available. To eat this unusual dish, diners need to scoop the meat off the bones with a spoon and eat it with rice, seaweed, and wasabi.

There’s also fresh wasabi (280 yen), served in a plate with a sharkskin grater for you to grate yourself.

▼ The wasabi is fun to grate and can be used freely on whatever dishes you choose.

▼ Those who don’t want to work for their wasabi can enjoy the pre-grated version on the table.

Another highlight on the menu is the “Hokkaido Shako”, or mantis shrimp, which is a prized delicacy not often found at sushi restaurants. When you do see it on the menu it’s usually a limited-time special but here it’s a mainstay, and relatively affordable at 630 yen.

Then there’s the “Hokkaido Matsukawa Karei” (580 yen), with an irresistibly sweet, chewy white flesh that’s packed with umami. This is another dish you won’t find at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, as the population of this particular flounder was once in decline but has only recently been recovered.

▼ Other recommended items are the straw-seared bonito (570 yen)…

…and “Fukui Asa-dore” (“Fukui Morning Catch”), a series that depends entirely on the day’s catch, sourced from Fukui Prefecture. Kura Sushi has a special contract with fishing boats in Fukui where they buy the entire boat’s catch — the boats leave the port at 3 a.m., land the catch at 5 a.m., process it at a factory near the port, and then put it on the first Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa Station to this store at Nakameguro, delivering super fresh fish like yellowtail, sea bream, kelp grouper, and Spanish mackerel.

Tuna fans will fall in love with the “Fresh Bluefin Tuna Three-Piece Set” (980 yen), which features decorative knife cuts and dashi soy sauce lightly brushed on top, making it feel like you’re in a top-class restaurant. Plus, the tuna is farm-raised in Uwajima and transported to Nakameguro at top speed without ever being frozen, giving you supreme freshness.

▼ The Three-Piece Set contains lean, medium fatty, and fatty tuna… and they’re all melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

To celebrate the grand opening in Tokyo, the store will also be offering two items from 29 May to 8 June — “Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna Medium Fatty” (380 yen) and “Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna Fatty” (580 yen) — for just 100 yen each, in limited quantities every day.

▼ So now’s the time to get in and try as much as you can.

With fish delivered fresh every day, this is one conveyor belt chain that’s a cut above the competition, and is definitely worth a visit.

According to staff, the sushi selection gets better towards the evening — sometimes the day’s catch isn’t available until later in the day — so you’ll want to put this in your itinerary for dinner, where you can enjoy the refined ambience, and a few tipples with your sushi too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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