Cool Restaurants

Our second week in Japan we went to what may turn out to be one of our favorite restaurant chains here in Japan. In Japan it's not uncommon to find conveyor belt sushi restaurants. These conveyor belt-style Asian restaurants have made their way over to Europe and possibly parts of the U.S.? But, this one.... This was is REALLY cool! The chain is called Sushiro.

The other ones we've encountered in Japan are rather small restaurants which obviously have a small conveyor belt. This chain, however, has rather large restaurant space, and because of that they're conveyor belts are bigger. They also have a pretty big menu selection, and YES it does have quite a few vegetarian options, to Tori's delight! They also have a delicious dessert menu!

If you don't see a dish that you want coming around on the belt, you can place special orders on the IPad next to your table, and it's super easy to change the language to English.

Some of our favorite items for the menu include: Japan's version of mozzarella sticks (tempura fried mozzarella), sushi rolls stuffed with mayo and corn, milk bubble tea, free hot green tea, beer (of course), and frozen creme brulee (it's as delicious as it sounds).

One of the best parts about this chain- it's super affordable! Because of that it does get a bit crowded, but they have an app that you can download and when you're en route you can enter yourself into the que.

Now, to be honest, it is a HUGE challenge for Tori to live here as a vegetarian. We knew it would be, and we were absolutely right. We have, however, been pleasantly surprised to find meat alternatives in regular grocery stores.

Overall, though, Tori can't just pop into any restaurant and expect to eat a meal. And, as cuisine and the ambiance of Japanese restaurants is something we want to experience, we're still checking out all sorts of restaurants.

The YMCA (where Tori works) is relatively close to Miklos's work. So he has been meeting Tori at her work once she is done, and together we've been venturing out to different restaurants on Wednesday evenings. It's something fun and something to look forward to. This past Wednesday we decided we wanted to try another fun, interesting type of restaurant that's also common here in Japan-- a vending machine restaurant.

These restaurants are pretty much what they sound like. You walk in, check out what meals and drinks are offered. They're all posted on the vending machine. You insert your money, make your selections, collect the printed slips and hand the slips to the cook.

To prepare for this restaurant Tori brought her dinner to work and ate it when leaving work, as we feared she might not find any vegetarian options in this restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised, though, that the cook spoke perfect English and whipped up some fried rice without meat. Typically, though, this restaurant is known for it's ramen. It was hearty and delicious with thick, flavorful broth.

Check out our photos, and remember, if you're in Japan to check out these two types of restaurants! You won't be disappointed!

Our photos-- the first 3 are from the conveyor belt restaurant. The 4th picture shows Tori eating her spaghetti in preparation to go to a restaurant where she's uncertain whether or not she'll find vegetarian food. And the remainder are from the vending machine restaurant.