What do you do first when you receive your salary?
In my case, to reward myself for hard work over the past month,
I go to restaurants I rarely visit and eat as much as I want of my favorite foods.
Usually, in order to save money, I often refrain from buying and eating a lot.
I tend to be very concerned about price, too.
However, immediately after payday is exceptional.
Of course, I save money.
It is too boring by itself!
To improve my motivation to work and study, and to live a little more positively,
at least once a month, I try to give myself the opportunity to eat as much as I want without worrying about the price.
I often choose to go to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.
I usually go to big popular chain restaurants.
However, the restaurant I visited this time is probably almost unknown in the Kansai region.
The place is ” Kaiten Sushi Sushiemon AEON MALL Kobe Minami”.
A few months ago, an event led me to learn about this restaurant.
I will talk about that later.
This article is intended for the following people.
・Those who are interested in lesser-known conveyor-belt sushi restaurants.
・Those who are embarrassed to go to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant alone.
By reading this article,
you will discover the charm of “Kaitenzushi Sushiemon,” which is not so familiar in the Kansai region.
I hope this article will give a boost to those
who are wondering whether to go to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant by themselves.
Now, please enjoy reading to the end.
Thank you for your cooperation.
What is “Kaiten Sushi Sushiemon”?
“Kaiten Sushi Sushiemon” is a conveyor-belt sushi chain restaurant operated by Aquaplus, a fisheries company,
which is based in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture.
According to the official website,
as of 2024, Sushiemon has three restaurants in Ehime Prefecture.
It has one store each in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Hyogo and Fukuoka.
The top page of the official website states,
” We deliver to our customers fresh fish that rivals that of fancy sushi restaurants. “
Their motto is to provide customers with meals
using high quality natural and farmed seafood at the lowest possible price.
Unfortunately, there is no “Sushiemon” restaurant in my hometown, Osaka.
In Kansai, there is only one restaurant in Kobe City.
Therefore, “Sushiemon” is a conveyor-belt sushi chain completely unfamiliar to us.
Only a few months ago, I learned of the existence of “Sushiemon”.
It was a YouTube video that led me to learn about it.
One day a few months ago,
I happened to find “Sushiemon”
introduced on a comedian’s YouTube channel.
The comedian usually posts various videos related to food, especially meat.
From famous meat restaurants, high-end sushi restaurants, and restaurants that refuse to be interviewed by the media throughout the country,
he introduces a wide range of restaurants which even commoners like me can go to.
He has pretty distinctive theories and opinions about food and sometimes talks too much.
He frustrates me at times.
However, it is an interesting channel. I find myself watching it.
The comedian had never been to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.
So, a close junior comedian took me to a place,
which was a “Sushiemon” restaurant in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Incidentally, an acquaintance of the junior comedian is the owner of Sushiemon.
In the video, as usual, he gave his harsh opinion on each dish.
He was not afraid at all to present his opinions in front of the manager and owner.
However, he also described good points of each dish.
Overall, he rated the food at “Sushiemon” quite highly.
I was intrigued by what I saw in his channel and decided to actually go there.
As I mentioned earlier,
in Kansai, there is only one restaurant on Sushiemon in Kobe City.
However, I did not find it a big hassle.
Thanks to “Sushiemon”,
I felt like visiting Kobe, which I had not visited for several years.
That is why I went to Kobe after a long time just to eat conveyor-belt sushi.
So, dear my readers,
let’s go to “Kaitenzushi Sushi Sushiemon Aeon Mall Kobe Minami” with me, hiikun.
First, let’s look at the way to the restaurant.
Directions to “Kaitenzushi Sushiemon AEON MALL Kobe Minami
Let’s take a look at the route to the “Kaitenzushi Sushi Sushiemon AEON MALL Kobe Minami”.
Head from JR Osaka Station to Sannomiya Station in the heart of Kobe.
Here is a question I often hear from people who are not familiar with the geography of Osaka.
“What’s the difference between JR Osaka Station and Umeda Station?”
To sum up, they are located in the same place.
Only JR station calls itself Osaka Station, while other private railway and subway stations call themselves Umeda.
From Umeda, Osaka to Sannomiya
you can choose either the JR Kobe Line, the Hanshin Main Line, or the Hankyu Kobe Line.
Fares, travel times, train types, and scenery along the lines differ for each route.
It doesn’t matter which one you use.
This time, I was in a hurry and chose the JR train.
I took the 3:45 p.m. Shin-Kaisoku special rapid service train bound for Himeji.
I had actually planned to take the 3:37 p.m. rapid train before that.
However, the rapid service had left while I was in a restroom.
I decided to take the following the special rapid train.
Let’s take this ride to Sannomiya.
21 minutes on the train…
Arrived.
Sannomiya Station.
This is my first time in Kobe in several years.
I saw off the special rapid train I boarded.
Only 21 minutes from Osaka…
It was crazy fast.
This is a view of Kobe from Sannomiya Station.
There is some kind of construction going on where the red arrow points.
What will be built?
The answer to that question will be revealed later…
Now, let’s move on to the subway.
Kobe City Subway Wangan Line.
Proceed to the SANTICA underground mall.
There are signs at key points indicating the direction to Sannomiya Hanadokomae Station on the Subway Wangan Line.
Step forward accordingly.
I arrived at Sannomiya/Hanadokimae station.
The destination is Chuo Ichiba-mae station, four stops away.
I could see what was taking place at the construction site in the photo taken from JR Sannomiya Station.
It appears that a large building like this one will be built.
It is scheduled for completion in 2029.
I arrived at the boarding area.
It was located deeper than expected.
Take the train bound for Shinnagata to Chuo Ichiba-mae Station.
I arrived at the Chuo Ichiba-mae station.
After exiting the ticket gate, there is a sign indicating the AEON MALL Kobe Minami Store.
The entrance is just around the corner.
Kaitenzushi Sushiemon is located on the first floor.
Arrived.
Let’s go inside and eat.
Dishes served at Sushiemon
The interior of the restaurant was impressive with its subdued lighting and calm atmosphere.
Since it was only 4:00 p.m. when I arrived, there were no customers.
I was lucky enough to be shown to a table for six.
You can place orders using tablet terminals provided at each seat.
Now let’s look at the dishes I ate.
I try to eat a balanced diet.
Salads are a must.
The red miso soup of white fish was excellent.
It was filled with white fish, wakame seaweed, and mitsuba leaves.
Goes well with sushi.
Sushi is delivered by a train similar to a Shinkansen bullet train like this.
I had three kinds of tuna.
From left to right: Otoro (fatty tuna), Akami (lean tuna), and Chutoro (medium-fatty tuna).
I can’t miss the tuna.
Sushiemon’s sushi dosen’t include wasabi (Japanese horseradish).
Add it as needed.
If I add wasabi,
I use a gari ginger instead of a brush to apply a small amount of soy sauce as shown here.
I started with the chutoro (medium fatty tuna).
I hiikun love chutoro.
Whenever I go to a sushi restaurant, the first dish I always get is chutoro.
I have eaten chutoro at various conveyor belt sushi chains.
Personally, I felt that of Sushiemon was the best.
Next is the akami lean tuna.
It is also delicious!
Please take a look.
I like the smaller amount of sushi rice!
Also, the temperature of the sushi rice was just right.
Thanks to this, I were able to take the time to enjoy the taste of each sushi.
Last but not least is the Ootoro fatty tuna.
It has just the right amount of oil and is pleasantly crunchy.
I may be overreacting,
It was so delicious that it made me want to chew it all the time.
As I said at the beginning,
Sushiemon is operated by a fishery company in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture.
Uwajima is known for its sea bream.
There, I had this “tai (sea bream) zukushi*” *All the sushi on the plate are sea breams.
First, I ate standard sea bream sushi.
I like sea bream as much as chutoro.
The sea bream from Uwajima is excellent.
This is a tai meshi gunkan*. *Gunkan Sushi means a type of sushi in which small oval-shaped vinegared sushi rice is wrapped in a band of seaweed and topped with ingredients. We call it “gunkan” meaning “battleship” in Japanese because it looks like a battleship.
This dish is inspired by “Uwajima Tai-meshi,” a local dish of Ehime Prefecture.
The quail roe enhances the flavor of the sea bream.
This is konbu-jime of sea bream.
I put soy sauce on it out of habit.
Soy sauce is not necessary.
It is better to eat it as it is because it has a strong kelp flavor.
This is seared sea bream with salt (umashio lemon).
Sea bream is good raw, but seared is also good.
This one is served with only salt and lemon.
I apologize for the inconvenience.
I forgot to photograph the seared sea bream (ponjuré) that the yellow arrow points to.
It comes with a ponzu* jelly, so no soy sauce is needed. * “Ponzu” is japanese citrus sour sauce.
It was delicious enough as it was.
In total, five kinds and seven pieces were all delicious.
Because it is a sushi restaurant based in Uwajima,
I could see that they put a lot of effort into serving delicious sea breams.
I order next dish.
This is a horse mackerel.
The green onions and ginger enhance the flavor of the horse mackerel.
A small amount of soy sauce is sufficient.
No wasabi required.
This is a giant squid.
It is served lightly salted only and wrapped with shiso leaves.
This is fresh fatty salmon.
I was surprised that the salmon was bigger than I expected.
It was very tender and tasty.
This is a seared scallop.
It is served with salt and lemon.
Scallops are also good raw.
Personally, I prefer them seared.
Sushiemon also offers a wide variety of side dishes.
I had fried chicken.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence,
but I got the impression that there was somewhat too much batter.
However, the chicken inside is juicy and the outer batter is crispy.
The batter is well seasoned, so it is delicious even when eaten as is.
Use table salt to taste if necessary.
And then there is the closing dessert.
Special melt-in-your-mouth pudding.
This pudding was even better than I had imagined.
I can really taste the egg flavor.
It has an elegant sweetness.
The slightly bitter caramel is a nice accent.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if they were sold in famous sweets stores and department stores?”
It is a pudding with such a high degree of perfection that it makes me think so.
I did not expect to be able to get this kind of pudding at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
Everything was delicious.
Thank you for the meal. Gochisousamadesita!
Overall, prices are somewhat high.
However, I felt that the quality and taste of the sushi was well worth the price.
Personally, I am quite satisfied.
I visited the restaurant before the busy dinner season, so it was not crowded at all.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I was the only customer in the restaurant when I arrived.
If you want to go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant but feel hesitant about going alone,
why not go during off-peak hours to avoid lunch and dinner?
When I started eating,
an elderly man came to the restaurant alone.
Immediately thereafter,
a young woman, who probably works at the Aeon Mall Kobe Minami store,
came here alone.
Some people come alone, regardless of age or gender.
There is no need to be ashamed of eating alone at a kaiten sushi restaurant.
Depending on the time of day, you may be shown a big table for groups.
The elderly man and young woman, who came to the restaurant after me,
had their meal at a table.
Don’t worry about the surroundings.
Go when you want and eat what you like.
After finishing my meal at “Sushiemon”…
I had delicious sushi at Sushiemon.
It was worth the trip all the way to Kobe.
Spread out near the entrance and exit of AEON MALL Kobe Minami are,
a river and a nice boardwalk.
It was cool outside and the breeze was pleasant.
I sat on a bench and cooled off for a few minutes taking in the view.
I returned to Sannomiya.
I was supposed to return to Osaka at this point.
However, since I had come all the way to Kobe, I wanted to visit a place that is uniquely Kobe.
The time was already around 6 pm, so it was difficult to visit more than one place.
So we decided to pick one place and head there.
Weekdays,
The area in front of the station was crowded with many people.
This is the Kobe Sannomiya Hankyu Building.
Under the elevated railway tracks of Sannomiya Station on the Hankyu Kobe Line, which is attached to the station,
there is a commercial facility ” EKIZO Kobe Sannomiya ” with many restaurants.
So I thought I would have some dessert and go home,
but I decided not to.
I decided to look for a more uniquely Kobe place.
There were free beer tastings being handed out in front of the station,
I received one.
It makes me happy.
After receiving the beer,
for some reason, I wanted a cup of coffee.
Beer and coffee,
There is no connection whatsoever.
I really don’t know why.
Perhaps the color of the can reminded me of coffee.
Anyway, I had an irresistible urge to drink coffee.
I decided to have a cup of coffee at a store that originated in Kobe,
not the big coffee chains.
Then what I found was,
Nishimura Coffee Shop.
It is a coffee shop originating from Kobe with a history of over 70 years.
It has several stores in Kobe City and the adjacent city of Ashiya.
Upon further investigation, I found that there is one store in Umeda, Osaka.
There are four stores in the Sannomiya station area alone.
I decided to head to the store in the most uniquely Kobe location of them all.
That is “Nishimura Coffee Shop Kitanozaka” .
Please take a look at the map below.
Located a 10-minute walk from Sannomiya station.
Please check the official website for store locations other than the Kitanozaka store.
So let’s go.
Kobe is really hilly.
As you continue to walk up Kitanozaka, you will see it on your left.
Nishimura Coffee Shop Kitanozaka.
Despite being located only 10 minutes from the Sannomiya Station area,
the surrounding area is very quiet and serene.
Now let’s go in.
This is the entrance.
The first floor is a coffee shop and the second floor is a restaurant.
Please take a look.
This retro and relaxed atmosphere.
Isn’t it wonderful?
The era is the Reiwa period (2019~), though,
Being here is like stepping back in time to the Showa period (1926~1989).
The restaurant was very empty because it was before 7:00 p.m.
There were only three customers in the restaurant, except me.
I had a cafe latte.
This is the most expensive latte I have ever had.
It costs me 1,050 yen (including tax).
However, the price was not that much of a concern for me.
Of course, it was delicious.
But even better than that, with a delicious latte,
I was able to spend a relaxing time in the cafeteria surrounded by the atmosphere of the good old Showa period.
That alone is worth the 1,050 yen paid.
The wait staff was also very friendly.
They treated me with elegance and courtesy,
speaking in a calm tone that fits the atmosphere of the restaurant,
Like the photo above,
she opened the lid of the sugar pot
kindly and politely.
It may be a small thing,
but, for me, it is a good impression.
“No hassle for the customer, no matter how trivial!”
I was able to catch a glimpse of such spirit.
At the table next to mine,
a nice lamp was placed.
Just looking at this soothes me.
I ended up staying for about an hour.
Next time I come, I would like to have coffee with cake.
I still had a little time.
I went up to the end of Kitanozaka.
Looking down on the Sannomiya Station area from the end of the street.
The Kobe Sannomiya Hankyu Building can be seen in the distance.
It may be difficult to tell from the photo.
However, the night view is extremely beautiful to the naked eye.
I was admiring this night view for a while.
I wanted to stay there a little longer.
It’s time to go home.
When I returned to Sannomiya Station, I was in serious trouble.
The schedule was greatly disrupted.
An accident involving contact between a train and a person occurred on the JR Kyoto Line, the direct destination of the JR Kobe Line.
This caused delays of up to 90 minutes on some trains.
Fortunately, however, a Shikaisoku special rapid service train arrived as I entered the platform at Sannomiya Station.
I wonder if it’s the effect of the schedule disruptions…
It was crazy empty.
Thanks to that, I was able to sit back and relax.
Summary
This time, I went to “Sushiemon,” a conveyor-belt sushi chain restaurant, which is rare in the Kansai region.
I ate their sushi. How was the article about this topic?
What the foodie comedian I mentioned at the beginning of this article said
turned out to be correct.
All the sushi I ate was delicious.
The prices are a bit high compared to the various conveyor-belt sushi restaurants I have visited,
The sushi was so high quality and delicious that I didn’t mind it.
The taste, the size of the ingredients like seafoods, the amount of sushi rice, the variety of meals…
I felt that all of them were at a very high level.
I also liked the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant.
If you are hesitant to go to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant alone, please visit this place.
Depending on the time of day, you may be shown to a table.
Enjoy your favorite sushi as much as you like without worrying about being seen.
After eating at Sushiemon, I also recommend visiting Nishimura Coffee Shop Kitanozaka.
You can enjoy the atmosphere of the good old Showa period and have a delicious cup of coffee.
Please visit this cafeteria if you would like to take a break with a cup of coffee in a place that is uniquely Kobe.
I had delicious sushi at Sushiemon,
I had a delicious coffee at Nishimura Coffee Shop Kitanozaka,
I enjoyed the night view,
although it was only a short stay,
I was able to enjoy Kobe for the first time in several years.
Dear my readers, if you visit Kobe,
I suggest that you go to Sushiemon Aeon Mall Kobe Minami
and Nishimura Coffee Shop Kitanozaka.
Thank you for reading to the end.
See you in the next article.
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