Kura Sushi Ikebukuro East — Restaurant in Tokyo

Expect a queue, we waited for 1 hour but in peak time it could possibly be up-to 2 hours. Must get a ticket from the machine. Left box (green) is box table, right box (blue) is counter table. Afterwards you select the number of people and then an confirmation. Be aware the number on the TV represent the table availability not ticket number, the ticket number is announced in Japanese though you can ask the speaker to say your number in English. Most of the dishes are ¥100, you can pick from the belt or choose your order on the iPad. Language can be change from the top right button, you can also win a prize for every 5 dish you put away, most of the time you lose but we did win on the 25th try. Once finished press 'check' and wait for the waiter to confirm the amount you have spent.

Overall the experience was great, most of the service inside is automated even the draft beer pour itself (apart from inserting ¥500, putting beer glass, pressing button).

The food quality is okay, it is expected when they offer cheap sushi. Still taste good but if you are expecting high quality sushi I don't think this place will cater your needs. Otherwise highly recommended just have to be patient and learn to count...

I had intended to visit the flagship Kura Sushi next to the Skytree. However, I found myself outside a Kura Sushi on the East side of Ikebukuro Station and decided to sample the experience. This restaurant is in the basement. Perhaps my greatest objection to this establishment is the lack of wasabi service. I find it annoying to have to apply wasabi on my sushi. I was pleased by the half sized rice option as I wanted to try many things and didn't want to fill up on rice. I started by ordering nihon-shu. The sake arrives in large plastic tumblers. A bit inelegant but perhaps to be expected in a budget shop. Instead of ginger gari, they serve daikon pickles as a palate cleanser. An interesting substitution. I prefer ginger but could get used to this. I ordered a variety of sushi including aged fugu, scallop, toro, marinated yellow tail, seared fatty tuna, ama ebi (sweet shrimp), sushi assortment, straw grilled bonito, 5 variety of sashimi, red shrimp, seafood sea urchin, milt gelee (VERY tasty) & bluefin tuna roll. Inexpensive but the portions were small. I would prefer going to Gatten. A bit more expensive but much better quality. The matcha dessert...

This is the first time I’ve gone to a revolving sushi restaurant since the yen started depreciating against the US dollar. I can’t get over the fact that the price of some of my favorite items is now at ¥180. That’s a ¥55 or 44% price hike (previously it was ¥125 per plate). It’s tempting to give a low rating but the price change is a reflection of what’s going on in the Japanese economy as a whole.

Now about this branch, the first thing I noticed was their use of space. You won’t feel like they’re cramping customers inside to make more money at the expense of their customers’ comfort. The seating area for single diners is almost twice their competitors’ and there is dedicated space with seats inside as well as just outside the store for people lining up.

In terms of the food, the different sushi pieces were presentable and came in different shapes (vs. beautiful and consistent cuts in proper sushi restaurants). A lot of sushi items were not available when I was there. Without a variety of sushi, a kaiten sushi restaurant can’t really be called a kaiten...