番やのすし (Banya no Sushi) is a local conveyor-belt sushi chain with 4 restaurants, all in Toyama Prefecture. The fish arrives every day from ports on Toyama Bay, and the sushi chef (板前さん, itamae-san) right in front of you makes your sushi by hand.
And that’s where our family goes once a month, driving 2.5 hours each way from landlocked Nagano.
We live in Nagano, a prefecture with no sea, so our family is starving for good fish. Lately we’re totally hooked on sashimi from Hokuriku (on the Sea of Japan coast) (The writer lives in Nagano Prefecture and loves soba.)
Our destination: the 大沢野店 (Osawano branch) in Toyama City. It has a parking lot, so it’s easy to get to by car. The sign out front reads “番やのすし.” You can find where each restaurant is on the store page of the official website.
1 Once You’re Seated — Make Your Own Tea
Tea is self-service. Put powdered green tea in a teacup, then pour in hot water from the tap at the counter.
The soy sauce bottle lets you drip it out one drop at a time. That way you don’t overdo it, which we found reassuring.
For how to eat sushi, see our Conveyor-Belt Sushi article.
2 Order from the Sushi Chef
Across the lane, the sushi chefs are making sushi. Whatever you want to eat, you ask them for it. The restaurant’s own guidance says, “Feel free to ask our staff.” Just saying it out loud works fine.
On the day we went, we looked at the menu, wrote what we wanted on a piece of paper, and handed it to the chef. If it’s hard to say out loud, this makes things easy.
The menu we saw was in Japanese. If you can’t read it, another option is to point at a set on the menu, or at the sushi going around on the lane.
If you can’t figure out the menu, it’s totally fine to just order a set that looks tasty. A set packed with their recommendations? You can’t go wrong. Even Japanese people get the recommended set when they can’t decide
As a rough guide to sets, the most affordable one, the “桜セット” (Sakura Set), is ¥1,375. Until 15:00, there’s also lunch starting at ¥605 (both prices include tax; official menu, October 2026). You can also ask for “ワサビ抜き” (wasabi-nuki, no wasabi) or “シャリ小さめ” (shari chiisame, less rice).
Plates on the lane are priced by their color and pattern. At the restaurant that day, a plate cost ¥120 to ¥1,100 (¥132 to ¥1,210 including tax; as of October 2026).
3 Fish from the Sea of Japan — It Changes with the Seasons
Banya no Sushi’s fish arrives every day, mainly from 氷見漁港 (Himi Port) and 新湊漁港 (Shinminato Port) on Toyama Bay.
In Toyama and Ishikawa, you can’t skip seared のどぐろ (nodoguro, blackthroat seaperch). Tuna’s great, of course, but in Hokuriku every fish is just bursting with flavor. Horse mackerel, sea bream, bonito, squid. And yellowtail. That day, the yellowtail and bonito were especially good! My son had yellowtail 3 times, and I had bonito 3 times (lol) My wife loves conger eel and freshwater eel. That day she had something unusual: straw-grilled eel. And her favorite, conger eel, she ordered 2 times (lol)
We also ordered tuna and horse mackerel.
Each season has its stars, too. In winter, it’s “ひみ寒ぶり” (Himi kan-buri): big, fatty yellowtail landed at Himi from around late November to February. In spring, it’s ホタルイカ (hotaru-ika, firefly squid; around March to May). 白えび (shiro-ebi, white shrimp), called “the jewel of Toyama Bay,” is another spring catch the restaurant lists.
That day, we also ordered あら汁 (ara-jiru). It’s a miso soup with fish ara (the head and the parts around the bones) in it.
We stacked our plates on the table as we ate. Then, at the end, it was time to pay.
Handy for Times Like These
For local fish in Toyama, without any fuss. Banya no Sushi has 4 restaurants in Toyama Prefecture: 大沢野店 (Osawano branch), 古沢店 (Furusawa branch), 小杉店 (Kosugi branch) and 高岡野村店 (Takaoka Nomura branch). They’re open 11:00–15:00 and 17:00–21:00, and each restaurant closes on different days, so check the official website before you go.
Getting takeout? Orders and reservations are taken by phone or in person at the restaurant. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, reserving early can cut down your wait. (For reserving a table, check the official website.)
For people who can’t eat certain foods: we couldn’t find any allergen information on the official website. If you have allergies, contact the restaurant before you go.
The food in Ishikawa (Kanazawa) and Toyama is seriously delicious. I really want you to try the sashimi from the Sea of Japan. When you’re in Ishikawa or Toyama, skip the nationwide chains and try a local conveyor-belt sushi chain. And I especially recommend Banya no Sushi!
