How about a few food related quirks that we spotted during our recent travels in Japan.
The missus and I had breakfast in this family style eatery in Nippori located in a district of Tokyo that was run virtually autonomously with the exception of the kitchen staff. No kidding. There was only one human out front who would be responsible for cleaning, setting tables and answering any questions. You start by placing an order via a tablet and then wait for your food to arrive which is served at your tableside by a robot that announces its arrival. The only glitch was that R2D2 stopped 3ft from our table so we were forced to retrieve the orders ourselves unlike the customers nearest to us…go figure.
Payment is also performed without human interaction as you leave the restaurant using an automated system of touchscreen functions near the exit accepting either cash or card. You can even pay with the same pre-loaded public transportation cards (Suica/Pasmo) used on the rail systems.
Seems like Japan has also done away with the sushi roller conveyors that once wound through restaurants due to sushi terrorism pranks. Apparently, there were cases where food on these belts were being tampered with by other customers. Ugh. Sooo…there has been a revolutionary shift of sorts where now the plates of raw fish, tempura, soup, and anything else you can imagine are made to order and delivered to your table on your own designated track from the kitchen without any concerns over food safety and hygiene. Dessert rolls up a couple of minutes after we punch our selection from the wireless tablet.
You simply stack the empty plates at the end of your table and continue ordering.
Need more hot tea? No problem, a scoop or two from a canister of macha powder and a handy hot water tap fills your cup on the spot.
A mall development with its own frozen food department which carries everything imaginable for the consumer who craves convenience but still demands quality.
Even an Iconic brand of Canadian fries is well stocked here.
Need an insulated tote bag or dry ice to keep your frozen prized dumplings in their chilled state? They’ve got you covered on both counts.
