Sushi Strip

Kaitenzushi Toriton

When a sushi restaurant in Japan receives as many luminous reviews, boasts as many loyal patrons, and counts as many branches as Kaitenzushi Toriton does, it’s safe to say that the restaurant is doing something truly special.
 
In KT’s case, that something is simple: serving just-caught, high-quality, flip-fresh fish to the droves of busy locals that swarm all 12 Hokkaido branches from the minute the sushi conveyor belts begin moving to the minute they stop. Luckily for Tokyo’s many nigiri lovers, Kaitenzushi Toriton opened its 13th branch last year, an elegant wood-floored, wraparound counter-bar affair in the Tokyo Skytree’s Soramachi shopping centre.

Keeping the focus on the quality, the restaurant serves a changing menu based on what is in season and available fresh, and a prime counter perch allows you to watch the sushi masters at work preparing courses for the conveyor, although special requests are taken if you don’t see what you like on the strip.

The variety of sushi covers the spectrum, with standard staples from flame-seared salmon to yellowtail, more extravagant options like sea urchin, seawater eel, and raw scallop, and more daring dishes like herring roe, crab innards, and Japanese whelk. Whatever your preference, come either early or late to avoid the mad rush hour queues.