Sushi Waste Reduction Guide: Mapping Tokyo's Sushi Meal Box
"The waste of plenty is the resource of scarcity." - Thomas Love Peacock
Mapmaker：Wenji Pu, Zexuan Lu
Welcome to the “Tokyo's Sushi Meal Box Map”!
This map unveils Tokyo's pioneering approach in tackling sushi food waste through an ingenious solution: the sushi meal box. Tokyo, a global culinary hub, has embraced innovation in its sushi culture by introducing the sushi meal box, a sustainable and efficient way to enjoy sushi while minimizing waste. This map is an exploration of the city's diverse eateries, markets, and vendors that have adopted this eco-friendly packaging, allowing sushi enthusiasts to indulge in their favorite delicacies while actively contributing to waste reduction efforts. Join us on this map to discover the locations and availability of these meal boxes across Tokyo, highlighting the city's commitment to sustainable dining experiences in its vibrant sushi scene.
Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurants
Conveyor belt sushi restaurants, known as kaitenzushi in Japan, revolutionized the sushi dining experience. These restaurants introduced a unique concept where sushi plates circulate on a conveyor belt past diners, allowing them to pick their desired dishes. This innovation, credited to Yoshiaki Shiraishi in the late 1950s, aimed to make sushi more accessible and affordable.
However, they face challenges regarding food waste.
In Tokyo's Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurants, food waste poses a significant challenge due to the nature of their operation. Several factors contribute to sushi food waste in these establishments:
Freshness Priority: These restaurants prioritize freshness, continuously preparing and circulating sushi on the conveyor belt. However, this practice can lead to surplus sushi that doesn't sell within its recommended shelf life.
Presentation Standards: Conveyor belt sushi restaurants often prioritize the visual appeal of their dishes. Sushi that has been circulating for too long might not meet the presentation standards, leading to its disposal even if it's still safe to eat.
Unpredictable Demand: Fluctuations in customer traffic can make it challenging to accurately estimate the amount of sushi required at any given time. During slow periods or unexpected drops in demand, prepared sushi can remain unsold and become wasted.
Variety and Rotation: These restaurants offer a wide variety of sushi to cater to diverse tastes. However, this diversity means that certain types of sushi might not be as popular and remain unsold, contributing to waste.
Changing Eating Habits: Health-conscious diners are increasingly mindful of carb intake. With sushi being rice-based, some patrons might leave uneaten rice portions to adhere to a low-carb or balanced diet.
Food Ratio Discrepancies: Some restaurants alter the food ratio in sushi to manage costs or maintain uniformity. For instance, using more rice with smaller pieces of expensive ingredients like eel could lead to a perception of fullness with less actual sushi consumption. Consequently, patrons might end up leaving more rice uneaten.
Perception of Freshness and Safety: Consumers may be uncertain about how long sushi has been circulating on the belt. Concerns about food safety may lead them to wait for freshly prepared sushi instead of choosing plates that have been circulating for an unknown duration. Additionally, instances of people returning half-eaten sushi to the belt can contribute to health and safety concerns.
In 2023, Japan discarded approximately 18 million tonnes of food annually—five to eight million tonnes of that food was considered edible when it was discarded.
Of the more than 6 million tons of waste from food makers, distributors and restaurants each year, about 2 million tons is turned into animal feed and 640,000 tons is converted to fertilizer. The remainder, which can be anything from bread crumbs to residue from brewing alcohol, costs companies an average of $120 a ton to dispose of through the garbage system.
Japan burns or buries 3.3 million tons of commercial food waste every year. Then it imports 10 million tons of corn to feed animals, more than any other country.
Every year manufacturers end up taking back about USD 1 billion worth of food, of which only 16 percent is resold through other channels. The rest is thrown away, even though it is perfectly safe to eat.
The sushi food waste in Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurants in Tokyo results in significant problems and impacts such as financial losses for restaurants, environmental concerns due to increased waste, ethical dilemmas surrounding resource distribution, health and safety risks from mishandled food, and challenges to sustainability efforts in reducing waste and promoting responsible consumption practices.
Mind Map About Solutions
The proposed solution, Meal Box, aims to address sushi wastage issues in Tokyo's conveyor belt sushi restaurants.
This innovative approach encompasses several strategies, including a membership points system and the implementation of random lucky bags. These mechanisms are strategically designed to entice a larger customer base to engage in sushi purchases.
Moreover, Meal Box aims to extend the accessibility of sushi beyond the confines of restaurants. By fostering a more fluid circulation of sushi outside traditional dining spaces, we aim to curtail food waste significantly. This not only aligns with our goal of minimizing waste but also offers added convenience to patrons by providing sushi availability in more diverse locations.
The multifaceted approach of Meal Box not only seeks to mitigate sushi waste but also strives to incentivize increased consumption while offering a convenient and engaging experience for customers.
Some More Data ……
According to data analysis, deliberate visits to conveyor belt sushi restaurants are declining in favor of quick-service options in Tokyo. This trend caters to the needs of busy professionals and students, allowing them to conveniently purchase their daily meals on-the-go, thus saving time.
Adapting the sales approach of sushi to better align with customer preferences could significantly reduce food wastage in conveyor belt sushi restaurants. The popular characteristics of sought-after food items include affordability, swift service, high quality, and exceptional taste. Building upon these traits, incorporating complimentary tastings, introducing randomness through lucky bags, offering rewards through a membership points system, implementing redemption programs, and establishing online ordering and delivery services within the sushi purchasing experience could notably elevate the sushi consumption rate.
By integrating these strategies that resonate with customers' desires for affordability, convenience, and quality, the potential to enhance sushi sales and simultaneously reduce food wastage becomes significantly more feasible in the conveyor belt sushi restaurant landscape.
Credit: base map-Tokyo by Wenji Pu
"Mealbox" is our proposal to conveyor belt sushi food waste. We make decisions about mealbox positions based on two general principles: one is that the position is within a 10-minute drive of conveyor sushi restaurants; the other is that we want to make the point close to subway stations because Tokyo's subway system is well developed and all wards are connected by subway lines. To accomplish our goal, we chose two well-known conveyor-belt sushi restaurants in Tokyo. We chose the location of this mealbox point based on the flow of people at different times and the demand in these areas, ensuring that one point can serve as many areas as possible, taking into account the distribution of different areas such as business districts, residential areas, schools, and companies.This map is intended to assist people in locating the nearest mealbox location.