Sightseeing bus serving conveyor-belt sushi to launch in Tokyo

Tokyo (Kyodo) – A unique sightseeing experience is set to launch in Tokyo next week, with a double-decker bus offering tours around the city while passengers enjoy conveyor-belt sushi on the upper level. The Sushi Bus, featuring 20 seats and a retractable roof, provides all-you-can-eat sushi for 16,000 yen ($101) for regular seats and 20,000 yen for front-row seats. Tours last approximately 70 minutes and pass by landmarks such as the Ginza shopping district and Tokyo Tower.

The bus features a retractable roof and is decorated to resemble a piece of sushi. Kitchen staff on the lower level load plates of sushi onto a service lift and transport them to the upper floor, where passengers select their dishes from a conveyor belt. Staff members engage with onlookers at traffic lights, encouraging them to take photos and wave.

Sushi Bus Inc., founded by 40-year-old Tomoyuki Yano, is the latest tourist experience from the entrepreneur. Yano, who previously launched a ninja-themed tour and café, believes the conveyor-belt sushi concept offers a distinctive and challenging business model. The bus tour took over two years and cost more than 100 million yen to develop, with over 100 tests conducted on the conveyor belt to ensure the safety and stability of the sushi plates during the journey.

Pre-cut sushi portions are used to accommodate the moving environment, and the bus aims to provide a high-quality dining experience comparable to a traditional sushi restaurant.