Latest news with #Sushiro
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Sushiro sushi operator to begin farming sea urchins on land
OSAKA -- The company behind Sushiro, Japan's largest conveyor belt sushi chain, will partner with a Japanese startup to farm sea urchins on land, Nikkei has learned. Known as uni in Japan, sea urchins are a delicacy that is popular with foreign tourists. A large-scale uni farming operation on land is highly unusual.
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Sushiro to open its first-ever digital conveyor belt system in Singapore at new Mandai outlet, Lifestyle News
Sushi fans, rejoice as Sushiro is opening yet another outlet. But this one, which will be its 16th outlet in Singapore, is different from the rest as it will have the Japanese chain's first-ever digital conveyor belt in Singapore and Southeast Asia, the chain shared in a press release on May 30. The new restaurant is located at the Dining Alley in Mandai Wildlife East, a publicly accessible area that serves as a gateway to Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders. There are 279 seats and a seating capacity of 57 tables. It officially opens on Wednesday (June 11) and no park admission is required to access the outlet. [embed] "Say hello to a whole new way of enjoying sushi," the Japanese sushi chain shared in an announcement post on Instagram on June 3. The digital conveyor belt system, called Digiro, replaces the usual sushi plate belt and features a touchscreen that spans the width of each dining booth. Diners can browse and place their orders via the screen and the food is delivered via a dedicated conveyor belt to each table. Sushiro said that the concept is "better for the planet" and "reduces food waste" as each plate of sushi is prepared fresh upon request. "Aligning with Mandai's commitment to sustainability, our innovative Digiro streamlines the ordering process and minimises unnecessary plate circulation - making your sushi experience both fresh and eco-friendly," shared Sushiro. Apart from ordering food, diners can use the screen to play Dakkosushi — a game feature created by Sushiro — which features several animated characters that engage diners in trivia and slot games. Winners get to bring home exclusive Dakkosushi merchandise. To celebrate the opening of its newest restaurant and only Digiro outlet, Sushiro is having a Sure-Win Lucky Dip for customers who spend $60 and above in a singe receipt on June 11. Prizes include a variety of Dakkosushi merchandise like stickers, magnets and enamel pins. Diners can also enjoy several plates of sushi for just $1.90++ from June 11 to 24 such as Bluefin Fatty Tuna, Toro Salmon and Jumbo Scallop. Keen on trying out the new digital screens? Diners can make an advanced reservation on Sushiro's app from June 4 onwards. Do note that the restaurant's operational hours will be from 11am to 9.30pm from June 11 to 17. Regular operating hours will commence from June 18 onwards. Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road (Mandai Wildlife East) #01-14/15, Singapore 729826 Opening hours: Daily, 11am to 10pm melissateo@
SoraNews24
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Mr. Sato visited Black Thunder's new factory, but was mostly captivated by their sukajan jackets
He went for the chocolate and came back as part of the brand. There are many delectable treats to be found in Japan, from the cheap to the more unusual, but a popular chocolate snack is Black Thunder. Developed by Yuraku Confectionery in Toyohashi, Aichi, in 1994, it quickly became a beloved product nationwide, often working in collaboration with other companies to create a food mash-up, like this year's dessert range at Sushiro. Now, this month will see the introduction of the first-ever factory tour, at the Black Thunder Waku-zaku Factory in Toyohashi on May 27. Our ace Japanese-language reporter Mr. Sato joined the media preview, expecting to be treated to a tour of the production process, but was instead thunderstruck when he laid eyes on the jackets worn by the employees, deciding he must have one at all costs. The day started off like any other press event: Mr. Sato arrived at Shinjohara Station (the nearest station), and while it was possible to walk there in about 25 minutes, he opted to take the provided shuttle bus. Expecting a minibus to pull up, he was a little surprised to discover a full-sized tour bus: it appeared that Yuraku had pulled out all of the stops for the sake of good coverage; their confidence in the new factory was overflowing. A short bus ride later, Mr. Sato arrived at the Yuraku Confectionery Toyohashi Dream Factory. The company's store that sits next door to the factory is closed to the public until May 27, but Mr. Sato got a sneak peek later on in the day. The event opened with a greeting from President Tatsunobu Kawai, who explained that from their initial idea to expand and revamp the factory in 2023 for Black Thunder's 30th anniversary the following year, it took two years to complete the entire renewal and open up the Black Thunder Waku-zaku Factory. Not content with just creating a viewing area, Yuraku decided to take things a little bigger in the hopes of giving new energy to the Tokai-Mikawa region where the product was born, and opted to build an interactive entertainment facility. It's a respectable goal, without a doubt, but for Mr. Sato… he simply couldn't tear his eyes away from the president's jacket. ▼ 'It's so cool… is it a sukajan? A leather jacket?' A sukajan is a type of embroidered satin jacket that was originally designed to be a souvenir. The president's jacket, Mr. Sato later learned, was in fact a leather sukajan that was the only one of its kind in the world. The speech soon ended, forcing Mr. Sato to tear his eyes away from the leather sukajan and pay attention to the following speaker. Next up was Hiro Maki from the Management Quality Department, who oversees the facility, to give a general explanation of the work done throughout the renewal. The main feature, the factory tour corridor, is divided into nine areas. From there, visitors can watch the production process up close and learn the secrets to Black Thunder's deliciousness. They've even included a section with immersive projection mapping, allowing guests to experience the process from the perspective of the ingredients that go into making Black Thunder. However… ▼ '…his jacket is also super cool.' Mr. Sato was left pondering whether that jacket was only for employees, as he would love to get his hands on one if he could. He is, after all, one of our most fashionable reporters, so it's no surprise that he's taken by the trendy-looking clothes. The speeches ended with a ceremony that appointed Black Thunder as a tourism ambassador to Toyohashi. While usually referred to as 'ambassadors,' Black Thunder gets a special privilege in being able to be known as an 'amba-thunder.' With the formalities completed, it was time to explore and Mr. Sato headed straight for the company store. Upon entering the first thing to catch his eye was… A sofa that looks just like Black Thunder. Mr. Sato decided then and there that his house was in need of a new sofa, but to his dismay, the sofa was not for sale. With about 80 different items in stock, the store feels like it has something for everyone. There's naturally many chocolate products, but it's the merchandise where the store really shines. And there it was! The jacket that Hiro was wearing is for sale. On the left side of the chest is 'BT' for 'Black Thunder,' and on the right, two lightning bolts. 'So stylish…' The embroidery on the back is great too, having a perfectly subdued design to not detract from the rest of the jacket. The center is a map of Japan, with Tokyo (where the headquarters in Kodaima is located), Sapporo (another factory), and Toyohashi are all marked. Adding the little Japanese flairs of a hawk and Mt. Fuji is a nice touch, but the pièce de résistance is the design of a thunder god, which would traditionally be riding a cloud, but is instead riding a Black Thunder. Mr. Sato was in love with the quirkiness of the embroidery. The only thing that stood between Mr. Sato and a new jacket was the price. It was bound to be expensive, so Mr. Sato briefly contemplated going for a T-shirt instead. He cast his eyes over to the shelf where the jackets were located and scanned the price: 21,000 yen (US$145.95) for a large size. That's… pretty expensive. He hadn't anticipated spending so much while he was on the trip, but… he really wanted that jacket. Like… really, really wanted it. Just in case, Mr. Sato slipped it on to see how he looked, and he loved it even more. Wearing the jacket just felt so right; he bought it instantly. Being the only place where it is being sold, the option of not buying one wasn't really an option at all. The regret would be too much to bear. With a sukajan of his very own, there was no other choice for his next goal: he approached that person… ▼ Who happened to be busy with filming for a television interview. Mr. Sato: 'E-excuse me, President… I'm Sato from Sora News.' President Kawai: 'Ah, thank you for coming today.' Mr. Sato: 'I bought the sukajan.' President Kawai: 'Thank you. It suits you a lot.' Mr. Sato: 'Thank you. Would you take a photo together with me?' President Kawai: 'Of course!' Mr. Sato: 'Awesome!' Successfully achieving his goal of getting a photo with the president wearing matching jackets, Mr. Sato felt he could end the day feeling completely satisfied. Until he realized that he had completely forgotten to take a look at the rest of the facility. Along with the 80 types of Black Thunder products in the store, there are also region-exclusive flavors that are usually only sold in specific areas in Japan, like… ▼ …ice cream, and frozen cakes. There's even Black Thunder Stout, a beer made using leftover bits of Black Thunder. Of course the main feature of the store, something that gets everyone pumped up, is the stuff-in-as-much-as-you-possibly-can event, and Black Thunder is no stranger to chocolate-grabbing events, having run a slightly different version for Valentine's Day earlier in the year. The store plans to run the event 13 times a day, and you need to purchase a ticket at the register in advance, with each turn costing 1,100 yen. If the tickets run out, then you're out of luck and can only forlornly watch from the sidelines as other guests pack chocolate into bags by the fistful. The rules are simple: within three minutes, you need to put as many Black Thunders as you can into the designated bag. You can overfill as long as you can lift it and hold it steady for five seconds without anything falling. If you can manage that, you get to keep it all. The bag, though, is surprisingly small and doesn't stretch, so excess force could result in tearing the bag. Everyone there gave it a try, with each person using their own different techniques. There was even one person stacking them like Jenga blocks, resulting in quite a good haul. For Mr. Sato, he came away with a grand total of 37 chocolate bars. With one bar costing around 40 yen (US$0.28), that's about 1,480 yen, making it a total of 380 yen worth of free chocolate. Not too shabby, but it seems that the average number was over 40, and there was even someone who got up to 50 bars. Of course, the store is not the only attraction at Black Thunder Waku-zaku Factory. Along the 71.5-meter (234.6-foot) observation corridor, visitors can watch all nine stages of the production process. There are machines that cut the chocolate bars 864 times per minute, slicing them in a satisfying and mesmerizing way. That naturally means that the factory can produce 864 Black Thunder bars every minute, resulting in a yearly production capacity of 252 million bars. There are also photo spots to discover, where Mr. Sato was able to join Hiro for another sukajan shot. Black Thunder Waku-zaku Factory is set to be a popular tourist destination in Toyohashi, where fans of sukajan can pick up their own factory-exclusive jacket and other Black Thunder-based goods, as well as finally being able to see the production process behind one of Japan's beloved chocolate bars for free. But, seriously, when you see that jacket for yourself, any resistance may be futile. Location information Black Thunder Waku-zaku Factory / ブラックサンダーワクザクファクトリー Address: Aichi-ken, Toyohashi-shi, Hara-cho, Zosha-88, Yuraku Seika Kabushikigaisha 愛知県豊橋市原町蔵社88 有楽製菓株式会社 Open: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (shop only; viewing corridor requires advance booking through their website) Website Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
SoraNews24
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Electric conveyor belt sushi kit brings the fun of a revolving sushi restaurant into your home
We put At-home Sushi Party goods from Japanese 300-yen store 3 Coins to the test. While 100-yen stores like Daiso have become world-famous, a similar chain called 3 Coins (where most items are priced at 300 yen) has a whole lot of fans in Japan. Known for its themed collections, which tend to sell at higher price points, 3 Coins products often sell out immediately after being released, and that looks to be the case with their latest 'At-Home Sushi Party' series. The range includes a wide variety of items like sushi oke (wooden sushi rice tubs) and sushi geta (wooden stands for sushi) so you can recreate the look of a sushi restaurant at home, but the standout product amongst them all is the Electric Sushi Kit, which is priced at 2,200 yen (US$15.66). This gadget lets you enjoy conveyor belt sushi at home, and it runs on three AA batteries, although they aren't included in the pack so you'll have to source them separately. The main unit is about the size of an open A4 notebook, making it perfect for tabletop use, and the plates are so tiny and adorable that it led us to question… ▼ …can you really fit sushi on them? Before we put that question to the test, we took a quick look at the toy parts, where we learned that the white discs that make up the belt can be removed for cleaning. ▼ The discs are the main parts that are likely to get dirty, so it's good that they can be washed after each use. Now it's time to put the toy to the test. Although you could just place some store-bought sushi on the plates, we decided to make our own, seeing as we'd picked up a Silicone Sushi Rice Mould from the store for 330 yen. Plus, we wanted to try a little-known hack we'd heard about, because at conveyor belt restaurant chain Sushiro, you can order just the vinegared rice, or 'shari' for takeout, and if you pay online, your order will be waiting in their automated pickup lockers for you to pick up at your convenience. The pickup process was easy, and with the rice already seasoned by the chain, all we had to do was press the fluffy grains into the silicone mould. ▼ Press the rice in firmly for best results. As the mould is made of silicone, it's soft and easy to handle, and there's a slit in the back so you can easily push the rice out with your fingers. ▼ Popping them out, we had five beautifully shaped rice mounds ready to go. If the mounds require a little more shaping, you can wet your hands or pop on a glove to prevent the grains from sticking to your skin. With the rice done, all that's left to do is pop on the toppings, or 'neta' as they're known in Japanese, which you can pick up at the supermarket. ▼ We also whipped up some seaweed-wrapped gunkan maki, with various fillings like minced tuna. Now for the exciting part — setting the sushi on the plates. These plates are very light and can fly off easily, so it's better to arrange the plates on the conveyor belt first, then place the sushi on top of them. With the batteries already in the machine, we nervously pressed the start button. The motor whirred to life, and then… ▼ …the plates begin to revolve on the belt, before our very eyes! It was exciting to see the colourful plates of sushi spinning around, and the smoothness of the turns, due to the clever disc design, was mesmerising. The small plates are packed closely together, though, so it can be a bit tricky to grab a plate without disturbing the others, but it's also a fun way to test your dexterity. Lifting the entire plate off the belt, we set it on the table like we would at a conveyor belt restaurant, and when we went to pick the sushi up with our chopsticks, we were pleasantly surprised at how well the piece held together. The sushi tasted great, and the flavour seemed even better for having been on the fun conveyor belt setup. When we went to pick up the next piece, though, we discovered an easier way to take the plates off the belt. By simply grabbing the sushi with the chopsticks, the food and the plate came off much more easily than trying to pick the plate up with our fingers. ▼ Another delicious morsel. Making your own sushi is satisfying in so many ways — not only is it fun to do, but buying sashimi from the supermarket is cheaper than eating out, and you can choose all sorts of creative toppings like tuna mayo, spicy cod roe, and even ham and cheese, giving you full creative freedom over what you eat. There are 10 plates on the conveyor belt in total, so you can serve 10 pieces of sushi at once, which feels just about right for an adult with an average appetite. You can always add more sushi on the plates if you prepare them ahead of time though, so you can extend the party to your heart's, and stomach's, content. While the setup works well for a party of one, more dining companions will add even more fun to the experience, as you can jostle for your favourites and watch the smiles of delight on everyone's faces as the plates roll by. It's an exciting way to enjoy sushi at home, and the kit can be purchased at 3 Coins stores around Japan and online, while stocks last. Related: 3 Coins Official Site Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
South China Morning Post
03-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hongkongers raise hygiene concerns after rat spotted in Japanese diner Sushiro
Hongkongers have raised concerns about the hygiene standards at popular Japanese diner Sushiro after a video circulating online shows a rat scurrying on its ceiling. Advertisement In the video, which went viral on Thursday, the rat is seen moving on the surface of a light panel installed on the ceiling before jumping to an area near an air conditioner in the restaurant located in Lok Fu Place in Wong Tai Sin district. An internet user named 'jimmylam_0' posted the video on social media platform Threads and said that the restaurant manager later asked him not to film the rat. View on Threads The post has attracted more than 2,300 likes so far. According to a comment on the video, the restaurant was closed around 7pm on Wednesday, while many expressed concerns over the 'huge' size of the rat and risks of diarrhoea. In a social media post at 5.59pm on Wednesday, Sushiro said it would close the Lok Fu branch for 'internal adjustment', giving no further details. Advertisement The restaurant resumed operations on Thursday.
