We take a trip on the world’s first conveyor belt sushi bus…and it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
Sushi and sightseeing tend to be at the top of the must-do list for many visitors to Japan, so what if you could combine the two and enjoy them at the same time? Well, now you can, thanks to the arrival of the Sushi Bus, a new two-decker restaurant bus that takes you on a tour around Tokyo while a conveyor belt filled with plates of sushi runs around the tables.
▼ In case you’re wondering, IBS Coach stands for International Business Solutions, not Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Billed as the first bus in the world to have a sushi conveyor belt, there’s been a lot of buzz about the Sushi Bus, but does it live up to the hype? We stepped on board for a ride before tickets went on sale to find out if it was a tourist trap or a tourist must-do.
The first thing you’ll notice about the bus is its eye-catching exterior, with the entire vehicle wrapped in a giant image of two bright red tuna sushi pieces, which are said to be 12 metres (39 feet) long and 4 metres high. The bus is dubbed “Maguro-go” (“Tuna Vehicle“), with plans to introduce more buses to create a fleet from next year, and it’s a beautiful design that’ll make you feel like you’re entering a new world of sushi when you step on board.
Though the welcome sign is in English, the Sushi Bus caters to locals as well as international tourists – 70-percent of bookings in the first five days were made by Japanese people – and staff speak both English and Japanese.
▼ After making your way up a short flight of stairs, you’ll be surprised by the interior, which is like no other bus on the streets.
Running around the entire bus is a long conveyor belt, with lanterns giving the space a very Japanese vibe.
There are a variety of seating options on board the 20-seater bus, from two premium single seats at the very front…
▼ …through to a table for three…
▼…and tables for four…
▼ … and two.
▼ Every seat comes with seatbelts, which passengers are asked to wear while the bus is in operation.
As for the tables, they’re beautifully designed, at just the right height for eating, and with places in the centre console for holding the soy sauce bottle and your drinks.
Every passenger gets a free drink, with some of the choices being soft drinks, green tea, and beer.
The bus has an open-air rooftop, which gives you a fantastic view of the buildings as you glide through the streets. In inclement weather, the top closes up but it’s transparent so you can still see the Tokyo skyline.
Each tour lasts approximately 70 minutes, and takes you past some of the top spots around the city, including Tokyo Station…
▼ … Tokyo Tower…
▼ … the Imperial Palace…
▼…and the towering buildings of Ginza.
Tokyo really does look beautiful from the top of a double-decker bus, but you’ll soon find yourself looking away from the view when the sushi starts appearing on the belt.
The belt is surprisingly smooth, and there’s no fear of the sushi flying off, as the setup has been thoroughly tested to withstand even hard braking.
The all-you-can-eat extravaganza contains over a dozen sushi varieties, which may vary by day. When we visited we were able to enjoy offerings like:
▼ … egg…
▼ … crab…
▼ … salmon…
▼ … octopus…
▼ … tuna…
▼ … prawn…
▼ … squid…
▼… yellowtail…
▼ … and beef short ribs.
▼ There are also tubs filled with packs of pickled ginger and wasabi.
▼ Little plates are provided for you to empty the packs into.
▼ All the sushi is prepared in the kitchen downstairs…
▼ …and transported up to the dining area by way of a compact little elevator.
▼ Staff place the plates on the conveyor belt and keep an eye on things to make sure everything runs smoothly during the ride.
Throughout the entire tour, we couldn’t get over what we were seeing, not because of what was outside the window, but because of what was inside it.
▼ A constant stream of sushi surrounded us on the belt, like a sushi lover’s dream come to life.
While it looked wonderful, we were keen to know what the sushi actually tasted like, so we reached out and grabbed a plate of salmon from the belt.
▼ Beautifully presented on a Sushi Bus plate.
After stopping for a moment to take in the fact that we were eating sushi on a moving bus while people on the streets stared curiously at us, we dove in and found that the sushi was delicious.
Eager to try more, we grabbed the beef ribs, which were so flavourful that we found ourselves reaching for another serving immediately afterwards.
▼ Then we tried the tuna, which was another impressive offering.
Though you might think that sushi on a bus like this would be lacking in flavour, we were honestly surprised at how delicious it all was. The toppings were high quality and generously sized, and Sushi Bus says it places a lot of importance on its ingredients, sourcing them from a wholesaler at Toyosu Market who they have a business partnership with. The tuna, for instance, comes from different regions according to season, and each slice weighs 12 grams (0.4 ounces), which is about 1.5 times the amount you get at a regular conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
▼ The generous portions really do fill you up, and after five plates we were already feeling full.
▼ One of the passengers in the front seat, however, put us to shame with ten empty plates on the table.
The excitement of the tour is dialled up a notch with loud music and enthusiastic commentary from staff, who get everyone to look up at the bridges and highways that pass by within inches of the roof, giving you a unique feel for the city.
▼ The Sushi Bus is a feast for all the senses.
So…is it a tourist trap or a tourist must-do? Well, in our opinion, it’s a must-do. Sure, it’s touristy, and if you’re a local the price is pretty steep, at 16,000 yen (US$101) per person (or 22,000 yen for a premier front-row seat), but if you’re a tourist from overseas, or even outside of the prefecture, it’s an undeniably unique experience that’ll stay with you as a fun memory for years to come.
Plus, with all-you-can-eat sushi and a 70-minute trip around Tokyo that takes in some of the most iconic sights, it works out to be pretty good value, especially if you finish a lot of plates.
▼ Another bonus is the convenient pick-up and drop-off location at Marunouchi-Kajibashi Parking Lot, which is right next to Tokyo Station.
The Sushi Bus operates daily (with occasional closures for vehicle inspections and maintenance), and currently offers five tour times, with departures at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Reservations can be made here, and the bus starts rolling around town from 10 October.
Images ©OonaMcGee/SoraNews24
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