There are a few conveyor belt sushi joints in Iwakuni, but my absolute favorite is Akiyama. I think some people call it “The Wave” or “The Big Wave”. The first time someone told me about “The Wave”, I had no idea what they were talking about and told them they would have to show me where this amazing sushi restaurant was. As we got up to it, I said “Ohhhh….you mean Akiyama!” We had a good laugh about it.
I guess I can see why people call it “The Wave”
There is a big wave on the side of the building.
Even though you can see the sushi going around on the conveyor belt, they do have menus. If you don’t see what you want on the conveyor, you can order what you want. They also have miso soup, udon, and a few other little dishes that you can order. And they do have English menus.
If you’ve never been to a sushi-go-around before, you should try it. First of all, it’s cool to watch the many plates of sushi go by.
See? Pretty cool huh? It’s even better in person.
Second of all, it’s fast. Short on time? No problem. Just sit down and start picking up what you want. I’ve had lunch in 15 minutes before. even if you order something, they make it pretty quickly.
Don’t like raw fish? No worries. They have cooked items also. One of my favorites is the “salmonfly roll” (I think they meant salmonFRY roll, but that’s just me).
They also have boiled shrimp.
I don’t have pictures of all the different selections they have, but they do have a few cooked items on the menu.
The prices are based on the color of the plate, and they start from 126yen per plate and go up to 525yen. The 525yen plates are usually the fatty tuna or the crab.
Some of you might be asking why I would prefer Akiyama over the 105 Sushi down the street. Yes, the 105 is very cheap. Each plate is 105yen. I can taste a difference in the fish though. Akiyama tastes like fresh fish and 105 tastes like frozen fish to me. I love sushi. A lot. So I would rather pay a little more in order to get good sushi. I also think the rice tastes different at the 105. I prefer the rice at Akiyama. Don’t take my word for it though. Try the 105, and then try Akiyama. See if you notice a difference.
There is one sushi I always get when I go to Akiyama.
I love the salmon with onions and mayo. Mmmmm!
If you don’t like wasabi, you can order the sushi you want and just request no wasabi. Or you can look to see if they have these cute things going around –
Most children don’t like wasabi so they put the wasabi-less sushi on these cute things and send them around the conveyor. It’s okay. I grab the sushi off of them all of the time. I don’t like wasabi.
Akiyama will also do take out. You can go and order what you want off the menu and they will prepare it and put it in a take out container for you. You will be charged a container fee, but I think it is only 30yen.
If you go on the weekend, go early. It gets very busy and you may have to wait a while if you go later in the evening. If you go and the parking lot is full, they have additional parking across the street.
Now for the directions. The easiest way to get there is to go out of the Monzen gate. As you are coming out of the gate go to the right. Stay to the left and make the left turn. About a minute or two down the road, you will see a side road on your right. Turn right there. Go over the railroad tracks and you will come to a light (Yellow Hat will be on your left). Turn left at the light. As you drive down the street, you’ll see the 105 on your right. Keep going and you’ll come to another light. Akiyama is on your right side right after you go through this light.
If you feel more comfortable going out of main gate, then exit main gate and go straight until you get to four corners (the first intersection after you go over the railroad tracks). Turn left and go straight for a little while. You’ll go over a bridge. Keep going straight. Eventually, you’ll see Yellow Hat on your left and then the 105 on your right. Keep going and you’ll come to a light right after you pass the 105. Go through the light and Akiyama is right there on your right.
If you have never had conveyor belt sushi, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a great experience and it’s good sushi.
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