Cheap Conveyor Belt Sushi and Good Service at Topwin's Kokyo Sushi

One of the best meals I ate in Tokyo turned out to be at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant behind Shinjuku station. While the sushi I had had at Tsukiji market the day before had been revelatory in its freshness, it was this simple restaurant that changed my view of sushi – I had no idea that conveyor belt sushi (as popularized by Genki and Yo! Sushi) could be this good. 

I can say with a fair degree of confidence that you won't get the same life changing experience at Kokyo Sushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant located on the second floor of the Topwin Center, but you will get a cheap lunch with plenty of room for discounts.

Plates are priced from RMB 6-25 according to their color. Stack them up once they're empty and the waiter will add up your bill at the end of your meal (in case you've never been to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant before). There is also an RMB 3 surcharge per person, which gets you the standard tea, pickled ginger, tissues, etc. I found the service to be very attentive – the waiter even took the time to explain how the restaurant worked.   

The sushi on the conveyor errs on the, to put it kindly, creative side. That is to say, more mayo and crab sticks than carefully crafted nigiri. I grabbed a plate of shrimp with avocado, featuring cooked shrimp nigiri topped with avocado slices and crumbled tempura, and a plate of little square pieces of rice topped with flying fish roe. The rice is a definite let down compared to Beijing's more storied temples of sushi expertise, but the fish was fresh overall. 

If you don't see anything you fancy going around the conveyor, you can order a large selection of items from the menu including larger plates of rice and noodles (around RMB 20-40). I decided to forego the main courses and ordered a small portion of Norwegian salmon sashimi (RMB 29), which was fresh and silky, if a little cold. 

You can eat a light lunch of a couple of plates of sushi at Kokyo for under RMB 100. Even better, if you scan one of the QR codes scattered around the restaurant and add their WeChat, you get 20 percent off your first bill (they also have frequent deals and coupons available through Dianping).

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: Robynne Tindall, Dianping.com