We head to the new arrival from the north to see if it’s still something special.

Sushi is, in many ways, a trend-resistant food. Whereas the popularity of toppings, seasonings, and cooking styles might wax and wane for noodles, rice bowls, and other kinds of cuisine, simplicity is a core part of the sushi experience, in which only a few expertly chosen ingredients are presented to the diner in a way meant to let their natural flavors flow freely to your taste buds with minimal interference or embellishment.

We bring this up because when our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun heard that Shiogamako, the number-one ranked kaitenzushi/conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Japan, finally opened a branch in Tokyo last month, he got very excited. However, his spirits dipped a little when he did some more checking and found out that it was back in 2019 that users of Tabelog, Japan’s largest restaurant information website, had made Shiogamako the site’s highest-ranked kaitenzushi restaurant.

But like we said, Japanese society’s standards for delicious sushi are extremely consistent, so any chain that was ranked as the best in Japan in 2019 should still know a thing or two about making great sushi today, especially considering that since it achieved its number-one ranking, Shiogamako has always stayed near the top, falling no lower than number 8 in Tabelog’s nationwide rankings.

And so it was that with faith in the past and hope for the present, P.K. rolled up to the Shiogameko’s kaitenzushi restaurant inside the Oimachi Tracks entertainment complex, next to Oimachi Station, in Tokyo’s Oimachi neighborhood. Since he’d timed his arrival for 11 a.m., right when they open, and on a weekday morning too, he expected to be able to just waltz right in with no problem, but Shiogameko’s impressive reputation meant that there was already a line waiting to get in even before P.K. showed up, and he ended up having to wait about 30 minutes to get a seat.

Once he did have that seat, though, he wasted no time diving into this taste test, ordering a series of three-pieces-to-a-plate combos to sample the types of sushi that Shiogameko is the most confident in.

We should note that while this is Shiogameko’s first conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Tokyo, it’s not the only Shiogameko in the capital. There’s also a classical-style sushi restaurant with counter seating only in the high-rent Ginza neighborhood, and while the conveyor belt sushi Shiogameko is more affordably priced than that, it’s still clearly positioning itself as a much more gourmet experience than a budget-oriented katienzushi chain like Kappa Sushi or Sushiro. So, for example, the Shiogameko Three-piece Chokuso (“Shipped Straight from the Market”), a kind of mini omakase, is 980 yen (US$6.30). You do get some premium types of fish for that price, though, and on P.K.’s visit, the trio consisted of chutoro (extra-fatty tuna), makajiki (marlin), and mekajiki (swordfish), as pictured above. Thick-cut and glistening from their marbling, P.K. found them so delicious that he quickly stopped worrying about how Shiogameko is so much more expensive than more mainstream kaitenzushi places, since it’s clearly operating on a different level in quality too.

The chutoro in particular was outstanding, and seeing that Shiogameko is particularly confident in its tuna, P.K. made his next order the 1,320-yen Three-piece Honmaguro (bluefin tuna). Once again, the pieces of fish that came zooming over to him were so delicious that they wouldn’t be out of place in a high-end, exclusive-clientele sushi restaurant.

And sifting through the ordering options, P.K. was able to find some relatively priced delicacies too. The three-piece hikarumono (silver-skinned fish) combo was 480 yen, and you can also order two pieces of the shimesaba (vinegared mackerel), P.K.’s pick for the best of the trio, for 240 yen.

Two-piece plates of maguro (tuna) and negitoro (minced tuna with green onion) are also just 240 yen.

The 980-yen shellfish trio, meanwhile, was harsher on P.K.’s wallet, but so kind to his taste buds that he didn’t mind the price.

Even when Shiogameko is getting kind of silly, it’s still exquisite, like with the 420-yen Giant Maguro.

Even the miso soup felt special, with the shrimp in the style P.K. ordered for 380 yen adding a sophisticated shellfish flavor.

Add in some lovely salmon…

…and P.K.’s total came to exactly 6,000 yen (US$39).

On the one hand, that’s easily two or three times, if not more, than what an average one-person kaitenzushi tab would be at most mainstream chains, especially considering that P.K. didn’t have anything to drink other than the free green tea that comes standard at kaitenzushi chains. On the other hand, the quality here is above and beyond what you could get at an ordinary conveyor belt joint, P.K. says, and for that matter, spending 6,000 yen at a regular sushi restaurant wouldn’t necessarily always get you fish as nice as what P.K. had here.

There will, of course, be people who balk at the idea of paying this much for conveyor belt sushi, regardless of the quality, because they desire more formal service and ambiance at that price point. However, if the price point itself isn’t a deal-breaker for you at the conceptual level, this might just be the tastiest kaitenzushi restaurant in the country to drop 6,000 yen at.

Restaurant information
Shiogameko (Oimachi Tracks branch) / 塩釜港（大井町トラックス店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinagawa-ku, Hiromachi, 2-1-21, Oimachi Tracks 4th floor
住所　東京都品川区広町2-1-21 大井町トラックス 4F
Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website

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