Yoshiaki Shiraishi, sushi pioneer
T.E. Goodell
TOKYO (AP) - Yoshiaki Shiraishi, the man who brought sushi to the masses in
Japan by serving it up on a conveyor belt in fast food-type restaurants, has
died. He was 87.
Shiraishi, chairman of Genroku Sangyo Co., died Wednesday of cirrhosis of the
liver at a hospital in Osaka, a western Japanese city known for its food
lovers, said a spokesman for the local chamber of commerce.
A former sushi chef, Shiraishi opened his first revolving sushi bar, called
``kaiten zushi'' in Japanese, in 1958 in Osaka.
In the restaurants, customers sit around a bar like in a traditional sushi
shop. But instead of ordering directly from the chef, they pick up their raw
fish morsels off a conveyor belt. That keeps labor costs down.
Japan now has some 5,200 rotary sushi restaurants, according to an industry
estimate. Revolving sushi restaurants have popped up as far away as London. In
big Japanese cities like Tokyo, customers will line up for hours to get into
some popular ``kaiten zushi'' bars.
A sushi dinner in the fashionable Ginza district of Tokyo can cost up to
$1,000. In comparison, a meal at the average revolving sushi restaurant is
usually about $40.
Genroku Sangyo headquarters and their restaurants were closed Friday for
Shiraishi's funeral, organized by his son Hiroshi, who serves as company
president.
AP-NY-08-31-01 0630EDT
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We all shine on
like the moon, and the stars, and the sun
--John Lennon
LaneyII
>Japan by serving it up on a conveyor belt in fast food-type restaurants, has
>died. He was 87.
Something about that smells fishy. Aw come on, someone was going to say it. :-)
Wanderer
W