Tripping Far Side

means "rotating sushi". Like Sushi Land or Sushiyama in Bellevue, plates of sushi roll by on a conveyor belt. This was today's dinner. Today's meal tasted unbelievably fresh--I tried toro, tuna, salmon, all the usual dishes. Sushi here tastes better on the whole.

This restaurant is found easily on the east end of Kyoto Station on the ground floor. A few notes though. I had 8 plates, and it came to a total of about 2200 yen, which is about $20 US. So, a bit on the pricey-side and they only accept cash. I'd go back though. :)

Also a few notes on the differences between the States and here. Rolls are really popular back home for the Americans, but you'll only find super simple varieties of rolls here, like cucumber or tuna rolls. No fancy spicy tuna rolls or dragon rolls. Some Japanese kaitenzushi places serve really exotic things, but this restaurant was pretty tame. One cool part to this restaurant is that the conveyor belt was protected by a clear plastic tunnel. Neat.

Also, you'll find that Japanese people generally don't douse their sushi with soy sauce, preferring to dip only the fish part because the rice soaks too much and ruins the flavor. As well, wasabi isn't used heavily in the soy sauce, since a bit is already provided between the fish and the rice. To each their own, but out of respect, tact in front of serious sushi chefs is recommended. It's ok to use your hands though, especially since an oshibori (hot mini-towel), was provided at the beginning of the meal. Try eating sushi with the fish side down, so that you can taste the fish more thoroughly.