How do people in Japan choose a sushi restaurant?

Finding a good sushi restaurant here isn't exactly difficult, but how do locals decide where to go? A survey of 400 Japanese consumers looked at the habits behind choosing somewhere to eat sushi and other Japanese cuisine, and I thought the results were worth sharing here!

If you're looking for something more than just Sushiro, asking people you know here is one of the main findings of the study!

Around 29% of respondents said conversations with family and friends influenced their restaurant choices, while just 8.5% cited food or restaurant photographs. It seems word of mouth still carries plenty of weight when deciding where to eat.

The survey also found that 62% usually visited with family or a partner, while 40.4% said they made reservations. Of those making bookings, official restaurant websites and LINE were more popular than third-party reservation platforms.

I thought the results were a really good reminder that asking someone local for a recommendation can sometimes be more useful than spending half an hour scrolling through restaurant photos. Next time you're trying to decide where to have sushi, perhaps ask a neighbor or colleague rather than relying entirely on online reviews!