The secret special magic key to open this one up
Ohh lets go in - It is this way
Secret behind the scenes.\
3..2...1.... what RAMEN?
Hey guys on Ask Japanese it's Cathy Cat and right now I am at Kurasushi, a running sushi restaurant here in Japan it's very famous
I am actually gonna go and grab myself this tasty looking salmon right away
here we go oh man that looks good...
Aburi Salmon so slightly grilled salmon right here.
Today we are gonna talk about the wonders and mysteries of this place because they are using
AI, computers and high class technology
to keep this place running and there are a lot of surprises that you don't know
and that even some Japanese people do know know so let us find out more about kurasushi
Here in Harajuku is Kurasushi's international flagship store
they pulled out all the bells and whistles, everything is new, there is some really cool design all around
the store. Now first thing when you sit down is WHERE are the chopsticks? They are actually
like a ninja hidden hideout they are hidden in here.
and what is even better and that is my favourite
over here are the sauces and flavors and also tea
So you have free tea on tab while you are here.
Little spoon one two
And where is the hot water? Right here On every table.
So you do not even have to ask for it it is free tea on tap the entire time that you are here.
YES damn
Alright let's have our meal. Itadakimasu
But I am not by myself here today I am here with....
I am working in PR for Kurasushi and my name is Kosaka.
Please teach me lots of stuff today.
I love stuff like AI and such, please tell me all about it. - sure.
Is this type of grilled fish popular recently?
Yes salmon is popular with adults and kids so we have different types here.
I heard the staff is not tidying the used plate here away.
What shall I do with it? - Well there is a slit here right?
Put the plate in here.
REady i am gonna let it slide in now, slide...
And it counts now here on the machine that one plate has gone in.
What does the inside of this thing look like?
Inside it is a water slide that transports all of the plates to the kitchen.
This is the secret special magic key to open this one up.
There is some water running.
To keep it hygienic the water is frequently changed.
So this water slide transports all plates away
It carries them to the kitchen so we can put them in a specially designed washer.
Please show me that one later too - By all means.
Masked up and hands disinfected we are allowed to go into the kitchen
Usually you are not allowed into the kitchen but we got special permission right? - Yes.
Please show me. - It is over here.
Excited sounds Secret behind the scenes.
I can see there is this little fountain here, that is where our sushi goes... (the plates)
That is where our little plate friend is
So the plate you put in earlier has now arrived similarly
Does the staff put in the cups?
Only plates can be put in by the customers
When the customers leave the staff will open the hatch\
and put in the other bigger items.
After arriving here, what happens next - Well the next step for the plates...
is the dishwasher.
This is a dishwasher? - Yes an automatic one.
Pick up several used plates like this and put them here...
clatter
Oh
They are disappearing one by one
and they are reappearing here washed.
in the meantime they get cleaned\
This is then the pile of the clean plates
How does this look from the inside. - Let me show you
You can look at the washing process here - OOOOH
There is a huge brush, hot water, there is some steam...
And it washes each and every plate.
It uses a brush, hot water and detergent to wash and the washed plates appear on the left.
Even if a lot of plates arrive, only one staff member can wash them all quickly
So not the staff, the computer and the robots are doing the rest
You only need to put in the plates on the right, they will get washed automatically, the staff doesnt need to do anything
The left is full now, what do you do now?
Once it is full, it can be used in the kitchen so put it on the kitchen conveyer belt.
So the chefs can use it
It is not just running sushi it is also a running kitchen - True.
How convenient, that must save so much time.
Yes while it is washing, the staff can do something else. It's efficient.
Wow that is so smart
What is that? - This is our secret system.
It is like the control center for all the automated processes.
Several control panels. - That is right
It is really busy in the kitchen there are a lot of people working.
A lot of robots are also being used in the kitchen.
A lot of technology is also being used in the kitchen as far as I can see
Dragon Roll? Crunchy Roll? They are only in this branch?
This is a special menu only for their international flagship store
We only sell it at 4 branches around the world.
So this is a sushi adaptation from abroad that you are having as a menu item here.
Yes it is very popular abroad, and we are making those now as special menu for Japan too.
Which one do you recommend? - The red dragon roll
Ok I will order with the device
Your order was heard thank you... what is next?
In the kitchen is a similar tablet like yours with the menu
The chefs will see it, make it for you and sent it automatically to your table
OOOH
Oh this is so colorful and you can see they have some tempura on top
Some sauce all around it, something creamy inside and then the red
of the tuna. There is everything here, so colorful!
Itadakimasu.
Oh we have cheeze salmon I am gonna have one of those... cheese salmon you are mine..
Hooo, the sushi is inside of these domes, what are they good for?
We call them Sendo-Kun but in America they call them MR FRESH
It keeps the sushi free of virus in the air, dust and similar.
They always come holding hands in sets of two
They always come as set - Why?
So when the conveyer belt is curving, they will not fall off, they are holding each other
On the back there is a QR code...?
The QR code helps us manage the sushi on the belt
Thanks to it, the kitchen will know how many sushi on the belt have been eaten
Depending on the hunger of the customer, we can add more sushi to the belt
and if they are getting full, we will put less items on the belt to adjust the output.
Controlled by AI?
The AI will be able to help calculate it with the help of these QR tags.
If a lot of tuna has been eaten, it will be able to judge
and tell the kitchen staff to make more tuna sushi.
You will see many different types of sushi on the belt, some are really popular
And it will be calculated what type of sushi to make at what time
If there are 3 tunas on the belt, it does not look that tasty right
We will put in sushi in different color, like squid, to make the experience more fun
Kids especially enjoy just looking at the colorful sushi on the belt
So we make adjustments to make the sushi on the belt look interesting too
We will adjust the types, looks and volume dependingly
With the help of these QR tags we will be able to tell when we can make less sushi for the belt too
When I slow down eating, the system knows that?
It does. - How do you know what I pick?
Oh there is a camera!
Yes. There are also other devices in the kitchen that measure the general consumption on the whole belt
It will be able to tell how fast which type of sushi was eaten
In countries like the US you are not allowed to serve sushi without a cover like this
So we are using these dome covers in many countries around the world.\
The Mr FRESH domes... wait I cannot close it now....
Actually it is made so that when putting the sushi in and taking it out, you do not have to touch it.
That keeps the cover cleaner too
Without touching? How?? - Well
You push the plate in, the customer just has to lift it slightly
You do not have to touch the cover, it keeps it all more hygenic
The customers can take the sushi out.
Look at the colorful sushi, and you can pick up the sushi worry free.
The cover is made out of polycarbonate...
it is used for sturdy things like car headlights
it is pretty expensive
so they do not break easily. And we also have covered them in antibacterial treatment
You are using cutting edge technology in many places
We wanted to make sure that customers can eat here with a peace of heart
This is a special device that will automatically fry some fresh crepe
3..2...1... huh? RAMEN?