Umios Corporation hereby announces that it conducted its 16th Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi via an online survey from February 17 to February 20, 2026. In the survey, which began in 2010, we collected valid responses from some 3,000 men and women aged 15 to 59 nationwide who use conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least once a month. (Online survey operated by Netasia Co., Ltd.)
* Surveys have been conducted nationwide since 2019. Previous surveys from 2012 to 2018 targeted the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma prefectures) and Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Shiga prefectures).
Criteria for choosing conveyor belt sushi restaurants
Top three factors in choosing a conveyor belt sushi restaurant:
Over 60% of respondents cite “Low price,” “Fresh ingredients,” “Close to home,” and “I often make a reservation by phone, online, or via an app before going.”
Around 75% of respondents prefer table seating over counter seating.
Amount eaten at conveyor belt sushi restaurants
Number of plates eaten:
Average of 9.9 plates, with Kyushu and Okinawa ranked first with an average of 10.3 plates
Amount spent:
Men spent an average of ¥2,175 per person, while women spent ¥1,785 per person. By region, the Hokuriku region ranked first with an average of ¥2,399 per person.
Amount spent that makes users feel they have eaten too much:
Men stated ¥3,329 per person on average, while women stated ¥2,725 per person on average.
Ranking of popular items at conveyor belt sushi restaurants
Around 75% of men and over 80% of women said they “eat more dishes that I order than dishes that come around on the conveyor belt.”
For the 15th straight year, the most popular dish at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is salmon.
For the top three dishes, following salmon at number one, the number two and three dishes are lean tuna and shrimp.
As for the reasons for each dish’s popularity, salmon was commonly cited as “cheap and delicious” and “having many variations,” while lean tuna was cited as “consistently high-quality and delicious regardless of the season” and “it has the richest umami flavor.”
The top three most popular items to order first at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are salmon, lean tuna, and medium-fatty tuna.
The top three most popular items to order last at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are salmon, lean tuna, and then a tie between minced tuna with green onions and egg for third.
The top dishes respondents say they like but try not to eat are fatty tuna, followed by sea urchin and salmon roe.
Respondents ranked the top dishes by cost-performance as salmon, lean tuna, and minced tuna with green onions.
Conveyor belt sushi restaurant sales campaigns
The top three sales campaigns and events that respondents said make them want to go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are campaigns about seasonal ingredients, local ingredients and dishes, and large portions. Among those aged 15-19, 30% indicated anime collaborations.
Prefectures where respondents would want to experience conveyor belt sushi
When asked which prefectures people would like to visit outside their own to eat conveyor belt sushi, Hokkaido was far ahead in first place, followed by Ishikawa and Toyama in third.
The top “must try” dishes for each prefecture are salmon roe in Hokkaido, sea bass in Ishikawa, and yellowtail in Toyama.
Conveyor belt sushi restaurants and the SDGs
When asked if they would give preference to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that is implementing SDG initiatives, around 55% of respondents said they would prioritize restaurants higher that had eliminated conveyor belts to reduce food waste. Meanwhile, 75% said they wanted to eat MSC- or ASC-certified fish at conveyor belt sushi restaurants.
Other offerings at conveyor belt sushi restaurants
The average number of non-sushi side items eaten at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is 2.5.
The most frequently eaten side item is miso/red miso soup for men, followed by steamed egg custard for women.
The conveyor belt sushi restaurant experience
More than 50% of respondents have visited a conveyor belt sushi restaurant while traveling.
More than 10% of respondents say they have been to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for passing time, like a coffee shop; this number rose to 20% among men in their 20s.
Around 20% of respondents over age 20 have gone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for eating and drinking alcohol.
More than 40% of respondents say they have gone alone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
55% of respondents say they often use wasabi at conveyor belt sushi restaurants, while a majority of those 15 to 29 prefer not to use wasabi.
More than 70% of respondents often drink tea at conveyor belt sushi restaurants. Among those in their 50s, this number rises to 85%.
Dating at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
More than 50% of respondents said they have gone on a conveyor belt sushi date.
The top two things that respondents do not want their partners to do on a conveyor belt sushi date are wearing strong perfume at the restaurant and being irritated while waiting to be seated.
If they could go on a date to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with a celebrity, the top choice for men is Haruka Ayase and Ren Meguro for women.
When asked which male athlete they’d like to go on a conveyor belt sushi date with, Shohei Ohtani was the overwhelming favorite among both male and female respondents.
Conveyor belt sushi and anime
The number one anime with which respondents would like conveyor belt sushi restaurants to have a collaboration campaign is Demon Slayer, followed by Chiikawa and One Piece.
The leading anime character that respondents would like to hear as the voice on the touch panel menu screen is Doraemon, second is Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan, and third is Son Goku from Dragon Ball.
* In this newsletter, total percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding to the first decimal place.
Survey Overview
◆Survey title: Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi in 2026
◆Survey target: Men and women aged 15-59 nationwide among members of the Net Asia Research internet monitoring population who dine at conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least once a month
◆Survey period: Four days from February 17 to February 20, 2026
◆Survey method: Internet survey
◆Number of valid responses: 3,000 (1,500 male, 1,500 female)
◆Survey agency: Netasia Co., Ltd.
To the Press
When citing content of this newsletter, please use the attribution “Umios Research.”
