Enter Sapporo Kani-Ya in Kyoto, A Crab Heaven

You’ll think you’ve died and gone to Crab Heaven when you enter Sapporo Kani-Ya, which is located within walking distance from IZUJU. Kani-Ya means “Crab House,” and this Kyoto branch specializes in boiled crab dishes.

The Sapporo Kani-Ya restaurant occupies an entire building, and we had to remove our shoes and enter an elevator that brought us up to another level, one that was filled with private rooms. The ambience was so serene, and the service so orderly, that there was even a buzzer on the table in our private room with which to summons a waitress.

I couldn’t believe how detailed, how overwhelmingly crab the menu was. There were endless photographs of crab sets and crab dishes, even a depiction of Crab Hierarchy: the Authentic King Crab, Hairy Crab, Queen Crab. There was vinegared crab, crab miso soup, crab shumai, crab tofu, crab hot pot. There was crab au gratin and crab salad, and even grilled crab innards for the die-hards.

Other pages of the menu were divided into Fascinating Zen Sets, Incredible Kai-seki Sets, and Complete Zen Sets, followed by a “Convincing Crab Guide.” The guide, along with pictures, detailed origins and sizes of their three main crab types: the Authentic King, Queen, and Hairy Crabs.

The most expensive ensemble, known as the “Complete Zen Set,” costs about ¥5,724 (about $46), and seems to encompass it all: crab tofu, snow crab mini hot pot, whole boiled “horsehair” crab, crab shumai, crab futo maki sushi, and a broth soup. Desire a whole king crab? The menu here states you can order one for ¥22,680 (about $185)—or order half a king crab for ¥14,040. If you fancy a whole hairy crab, not only will you have to wait about 40 minutes before it’s served, but there are two sizes to choose from: the medium hairy crab will run you between ¥5,832 and ¥8,424; the larger behemoth might pinch your wallet at up to ¥15,120 each. Or, choose the Queen Crab, which requires advanced booking: the price is “dependent on daily auction rates at the port of landing.”

The array of options were dizzying, and I eventually chose the Assorted Supreme Crab Sushi for ¥1998 (or $16), though if I had more time and didn’t feel so stuffed (it was a wonder I could still continue to eat), I’d have chosen a set, a crab cornucopia that burst in all directions when it finally arrived at my table.

We sat there for quite a spell, my travel companion relishing bowls of crab miso soup; and I, still craving more, ordered a second item: the “Vinegared Pincer Meat” of King Crab, for ¥2,700 (about $22). To my delight, it came with a saucer full of extra vinegar for dipping purposes, which reminded me of the serving style at K-ZO in Culver City when you ordered the Hairy Crab there.

Although Sapporo Kani-Ya offers crab-themed escapism, a note on their website actually suggests that you can “feel free to ask for dishes without crabs.” With the exception of the vegetables and tofu, the only non-crab item I saw on the menu was shrimp tempura. Everything else was sheer crab-infused delight.

Sapporo Kani-Ya

Gion Ishidan Shita Minami

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan 605-0829
075-541-1110

Kyoto's Zany Conveyor Belt Sushi Scene

A Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant in Kyoto

Items from the Belt: Only ¥108 Each

Bologna Sushi with Avocado and White Onions on Top

Hamburger Sushi with Mayonnaise, Tuna and Yamakake Sushi

Pickled Eggplant Sushi

Okra Sushi

Conveyor Belt Sushi, Only ¥108 Per Plate

The conveyor belt sushi scene in Japan can be quite a spectacle: zany fun offered with convenience and affordability.

At the nameless one I visited in Kyoto, it appeared at first glance to be some sort of Internet café. All the diners were seated in front of mini screens, which they poked at from time to time with their fingertips. Then I noticed the moving conveyor belts in front of them, loaded with little plates of goodies: sushi, appetizers, desserts, even juice boxes.

What made this place unique: you could special-order an item from the touch-screen in front of you to have it come out on the same conveyor belt. Then grab your item as it coasts by you. Or, simply sit back and take what you want that’s already riding on the conveyor belt. As always, the bill is based on the number of empty plates at the end of your meal.

Everything off the conveyor belt cost ¥108 (about 87 cents). Items from the side menu ranged from ¥194 to ¥216. It certainly seemed to be a restaurant with a sense of humor, for there were the most unusual sushi: there was the bologna sushi with avocado and onions on top, the “hamburger sushi” (with or without mayonnaise), and even a “Roast pork” sushi. From the side menu, you can order French fries with chocolate syrup drizzled all over them for ¥216.

Just like the purplish pickled eggplants I had sampled in all those food halls and shops, at this restaurant there was pickled eggplant sushi being offered. And although it appeared slimy, the tuna and yamakake (grated mountain yam) sushi was quite unique and didn’t taste as funny as it looked. Another unique one was the okra sushi, served gunkan-style.

Quite simply, this is a fun and cheap way to have sushi. The easily amused can have a blast here.

Conveyor Belt and Bullet Train-Style Sushi

Conveyor Belt Sushi at Tekkamaru

Touch the Screen to Order More

A Mini Shinkansen Delivers Your Order to Your Table

Crab with Crab Miso and Tamago on a Bed of Sushi Rice

Creamy Shrimp Sushi

Sushi via Shinkansen

At the Tekkamaru Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant, located inside the Kansai International Airport, the setup is similar. You sit in a booth and have the option of grabbing what you want off the conveyor belt, but attached to the edge of your table is a screen where you might search for other options. Only this time, when your customized order arrives, it’s delivered above the conveyor belt on a separate “Express Lane” track.

The tray, made to resemble a mini Shinkansen, or bullet train, carries the food straight out of the kitchen and to the table to which the order was programmed. A sign explains to customers to press the “red return button” after they take their plate off the Shinkansen so that the bullet train may carry on, either to return to the kitchen or to deliver another order to a different table. A whirring sound accompanies the effect as the mini plastic bullet train takes off on the track. Snap!

The typical items were served here—I enjoyed an ume shiso roll, some shrimp sushi with a cheesy mayonnaise sauce and chives on top—but the most unusual item had to be the crab meat, tamago and crab miso that sat upon a bed of sushi rice inside a crab carapace, eyes intact and all. It was delightfully tacky, if a bit creepy. But it was utilitarian as well as creative, I had to give them that—I have never seen this done anywhere else.

Our bill for this place was also quite low, as each item ranged in price from ¥110 to ¥300. Not bad for a place that entertained as well as served decent food.

Kaiten Sushi Tekkamaru

Kansai International Airport, Terminal 1, 2F

1 Senshukukokita, Izumisano,
Osaka Prefecture 549-0001, Japan

Heaven is a Place Called Sushisho Masa in Tokyo

Murasaki Uni on Sushi Rice

Penshell Edge

Marinated Firefly Squid

Grilled Penshell in Nori

Bonito Sushi with Japanese Mustard, Bonito with Garlic

Torotaku Maki

Kinmedai Sushi with Grated Radish

Pure Enlightenment at Sushisho Masa of Tokyo

Ah, Sushisho Masa. This had to be the capstone of my sushi tour of Japan.

I felt quite privileged as I sat inside this tiny, exclusive 7-seat sushi haven, situated underground (in the basement of a building in Tokyo), which had required us to make reservations at least a month in advance. After all, I was about to try the omakase at a place that my travel companion had first experienced a couple of years ago, which she had declared to be better in quality, as well as friendlier, than the hyped-up Sukiyabashi Jiro—and at half the price (about ¥25,000 per person).

I tried to be mindful of etiquette, for this was that kind of place. Although I consider myself an expert, I knew I had yet to be indoctrinated, for this was the domain of acclaimed Chef Masakatsu Oka, and this was Japan, where surely there were exotic fish that I had not yet heard of.

For such an upscale setting, Sushisho Masa indeed has very affable staff members who are quite accommodating to your needs. If you inquire about a particularly unusual fish, such as Tachiuo, one of the chefs might ever so thoughtfully open a Japanese picture book of fish before your eyes and point to it. They are patient to repeat the names of other esoteric sea life—sea grapes, penshells, whelk—in Japanese and in English, if they happen to know the names in both languages.

The meal began with little slices of octopus and miniscule servings of sea grapes and seaweed. And then it commenced in earnest, an in-your-face explosion of flavors and textures: smoky, raw, slippery, chewy, pickled, charred. This was not a place for beginners or for those unprepared for seafood…four items in, and you were munching on what I think they said were “Giant Clam Insides.” That was soon followed by a solo shrimp head from the Ama Ebi family, which was later followed by a sinuous sliver of mackerel belly.

Of all the tastings we were each served, I think less than half of them came with sushi rice, which was smart (you got to taste more items this way, without filling up too quickly). Each tasting was unique—one item was served on a stick, another in a fold of seaweed, another in a tiny ceramic bowl.

But I think the best thing I have ever put into my mouth was that marinated firefly squid, which was so good that I clung to my friend’s shoulder and started convulsing a bit. The squid was gooey and slimy-looking, not the most presentable, but surprisingly delectable. Its taste, said my friend, reminded her of ika no shiokara, or pickled squid guts. (Well, now I have to look for that.)

Other glorious tastings: the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth ankimo, touched with a hint of the mildest wasabi; the sweet horse mackerel sushi; the kinmedai (golden eye snapper) sushi topped with wasabi, grated radish and tart sudachi fruit. There was the mustard yellow Murasaki uni atop a small heap of sushi rice—so sublime.

I especially liked the way the chefs separately served both the outside and inside parts of a sea critter. This was done with the kuromutsu fish (first the inside, raw and sitting atop a nub of sushi rice; then the outside part, which was seared hot, smoky and flaky). The torigai (cockle shell) was served raw first, then barbequed versions were laid before our eyes. Bonito was served as sushi with Japanese mustard, followed by slices of bonito seared with a tantalizing garlic sauce.

In our two-hour sitting, we were served exactly 50 pieces of perfectly rendered sea life, the rote broken only by a lightly pickled radish in the middle of the meal, then a random slice of eggplant. Finally, our meal was finished off with the sweetest cube of caramelized tamago for dessert.

I reckoned my enlightenment was complete. For now.

Sushisho Masa

4-1-15 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Basement Floor

03-3499-9178