Fun at the Sushi-Go-Round

Taryn, I know you are missing your Sushi-Go-Round, and I PROMISE I'm not posting this just to taunt you. We LOVE this place!! Our long-time friends, the Kretschmers took us to one on Saturday. We were actually headed some place else initially, but it was closed (possibly for the new year...some businesses close for the whole weekend).

When they suggested a Sushi-Go-Round, we were hesitant at first, because Troy and Patrick were gone on their Forest Adventure camp out for Boy Scouts, and we hated to go for the first time without them. That lasted about 2 seconds...then we were in.

I should have shot some video, but you can get the idea here. The conveyor belt goes around the kitchen and restaurant in a big circle. The tables are all against the belt, so you can see the food as it goes by and take what you like. Different styles of plates are assigned a yen value, and at the end of your meal, they bring around a calculator and count up your plates for your bill.

You can also place special orders from a menu (with pictures, thankfully!) and those come from the kitchen on the upper conveyor belt (which moves a lot more quickly, so it kind of caught me off guard the first time I saw a dish flying by).

I LOVE raw fish, so this was all good to me...but the cool thing I discovered was that you don't have to like raw fish at all to enjoy eating here. Julia hates raw fish...but she has her favorites, and they are good!

You can get some yummy rice balls in a tofu wrapper...or egg salad sushi with the little quail egg garnish...OR tuna salad and corn over rice...who would have thunk? But its Nummy!



After lunch we stopped at this awesome candy store and stocked up on some cool treats (we have to try them all to find out which are best to send home, no?) and then the Kretschmers had to leave...but Cliff, Coree, Jake and I headed over to Jusco. It's a mall...sort of...maybe a cross between a mall and a department store-type marketish thing. It was fun! I forgot to ask Julia when I saw her today if they have entertainment all the time, or if this was something special for the new year...

I loved these performers! I seriously got emotional watching the dancers. They were just beautiful...



Julia said that photography wasn't allowed in Jusco, but I didn't see any signs (unless they were in Kanji) so I decided I'd just play dumb, rude American. I saw some more "Lost in Translation" fodder. Amy...we saw some AWESOME sweatshirts, probably just like those your brother gifted you with. Priceless!



And you thought massage chairs were cool...did you ever imagine a rodeo chair? Coree still hasn't quite grasped the yen conversion. She was hoping to snag this baby for $28.



I should have known the mannequins would look like anime characters...who's cuter, though...Coree or the mannequin? I thought so! In your face, mannequin!

Then the boys called to tell us they were back from their trip early and they were attempting to crawl through our bathroom window, so we had to go. Here's some shots of us on our way back to our van. Jake and Cliff demonstrate that while surely these benches deter the homeless from catching some zzz's...they don't exactly let you take a load off while waiting for your bus.

I wouldn't be surprised if the locals jog in place while waiting for the bus, though...they even exercised on the flight over!

I call this one..."War and Peace"


Coree is giddy over her bag full of candy...


Our first Japanese Biker-chick sighting!

On the way home from church today, we drove by a shrine with a long line of people waiting to pay respects and pray for good luck during the coming year. I didn't know we'd be seeing it, or I would have been prepared with the camera. It was SO beautiful and colorful, with all kinds of vendors hawking special new year's treats. I just LOVE this place! I seriously hope you guys are saving to come and see us so we can share some of these things with you in person!

Well, Seminary starts tomorrow, so it's time for me to say Oyasuminasai!