I visited Kyoto conveyor belt sushi at Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall, where Daiki Suisan serves kaiten sushi just steps from Kyoto Station. I also filmed the experience, which you can watch below.
Kyoto Conveyor Belt Sushi at Kyoto Tower Sando
I could not decide between sushi or wagyu for dinner in Kyoto, so I ended up trying both, including conveyor belt sushi here and a wagyu burger meal at Nick Stock Kyoto Tower.
I headed down into Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall, in the lift to the basement beneath Kyoto Tower and a short walk from Kyoto Station. You can easily walk past it without realising there is a full food hall underground. I actually stopped a Japanese man in the street, used Google translate and he responded in clear English and a grin, he advised me to try the Sando Food Hall. Once you know it is there, it becomes an obvious option.
When I got here from Nick Stock in the food hall, it was busy, so I took a number and waited my turn. I explained that I wanted to film my experience, so I waited for a seat at the conveyor bar, instead of taking a standard table. The staff were welcoming and understood straight away, which made the process feel easy.
Once I sat down at Daikisuisan, everything felt straightforward. Sushi moved past on the conveyor in front of me. I could also order directly from the screen if I wanted something specific. That included additional dishes, as well as drinks like beer or sake, and even desserts.
Each plate has a different colour or pattern, and each colour or pattern represents a different price. You can also see this on the console screen above. As I finished, I stacked the plates beside me. At the end, a member of staff came over, counted everything, and presented the bill. The system is simple, but it works well and keeps things moving, especially when it is busy.
Inside Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall
What stood out to me was how practical this place is. Kyoto Station can feel hectic, especially when you just want something simple to eat. Kyoto Tower Sando sits just nearby, so it works well without needing to search around.
At the same time, the food hall is not just about sushi. There are sixteen street food outlets and bars and two restaurants in the space. So it works whether you want kaiten sushi, korean food, noodles, wagyu steak, Chinese food or something else. It is one of those places that makes more sense once you have been there. It is easy to miss from street level, but once you find it, it’s open late to eat in Kyoto.
The food hall sits directly beneath Kyoto Tower. Which you can read more about on the official Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall and Floor Guide website.
Fun Fact
In Japan, sake (酒) functions as a general term for alcoholic beverages, whereas the traditional fermented rice drink is properly called nihonshu (日本酒). Brewers produce it through a process comparable to beer, in which they convert starches into sugars before fermenting them into alcohol. Despite this, people still refer to it colloquially as Japanese rice wine. That description is technically inaccurate. The correct spelling is not saki, although some English spellings use saké to reflect the pronunciation of sah-keh.
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