Conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, or kaiten-zushi as they're known in Japan, are big business these days. You might not think so when plates of sushi are priced at just $2 each, as they are at Little Tokyo's Kula Sushi, the newest and most ambitious kaiten joint to hit the L.A. scene. But arrive on a Monday night and you'll see just how big it is -- waits of over 30 minutes are not uncommon, even when you factor in the high turnover rate that comes with customers being served via rotating belt.If you've never been to kaiten sushi before, the conceit is pretty much what you'd expect. Premade sushi rolls out of the kitchen on a motorized track that circles the dining room, with tables of customers picking off the plates they desire while the unwanted ones circle the track like lame mules. Kula has more than 300 locations in Japan, and seven locations in L.A. County, including this newest one in Little Tokyo's Japanese Village Plaza. Its size and popularity ensure that it has one of the highest turnover of any kaiten sushi place in town, which is what you tend to look for when picking a place where raw fish comes covered in little plastic domes.

On a usual night Kula is filled with an assorted crowd: a group of high school kids pooling their cash to buy the maximum amount of food possible, an elderly couple out on a date. You could conceivably finish an entire 10-course meal in about 15 minutes -- the belt is almost never empty -- but most customers seem to turn it into a leisurely experience.How is the sushi? There are about a half-dozen variations on the fried California roll, covered in fried items and several permutations of a creamy or sweet sauce. There are gunkan-maki, little lozenge-shaped sushi that usually comprise the best bites available. The piece with a dab of uni, despite its melted ice cream appearance, isn't too bad. Neither is the piece with a spoonful of tiny red ikura, or the one draped with slices of glossy raw shrimp.Other items don't fare so well: The Spanish mackerel tasted waterlogged and appeared to have been hacked with the world's dullest deli slicer, and while the squid with shiso leaf sounds intriguing, it turns out to have the unappetizing chew of a length of garden hose.

Surprisingly, the wasabi is real, though there's a good chance that the bright red tuna might have been gas-treated to preserve its color.But through it all -- even the little sesame-covered fried mochi balls you can grab for dessert -- the sentiment seems to be, "Well, it's only $2," which could very well be Kula's mantra. sushi club delivery canitasThe sushi is not great, by any means, but it's far superior to what you'd find at, say, Whole Foods, or even some of the lower-rung Korean or Japanese sushi spots.sushi tei jakarta selatanIn the end, that might be kind of the problem. yo sushi delivery marinaThe globalization of sushi, a subject that even the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi touched on briefly, is unfolding in a major way. umi sushi delivery menu singapore

While conveyor belt sushi has been extremely popular in Japan for several decades, only in the past couple of years has it caught on in places like South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and, increasingly, China. Whether most people care to realize it or not, inexpensive sushi incentivizes overfishing practices and puts strain on an already restrictive market.But how can anyone resist at $2 a plate? Places like Kula offer a chance for those who might not be willing or able to pay for expensive omakase to sample sushi, albeit on a much lower tier. Put it this way -- someday we might explain to future generations the concept of kaiten sushi the same way that we might regard coal-powered factories or Great Plains buffalo-hunting. For now, though, fast-food sushi looks like it's here to stay. Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.Call Ahead & Order Take-Away Service! “The restaurant itself is pretty small, I would say there are roughly 10 booths and another 10ish seats around the conveyor belt.”

“I had the squid (so good omfg), sweet egg, fish roe, & salmon belly (soo good!), & as for dessert, red bean buns, yum!” “The wait can get pretty long though and if you wait inside, make sure to write that in the waiting list next to your name.”With a sushi restaurant on nearly every block of Los Angeles, it's not hard to get your fix. But it could be hard on your wallet.Low-priced sushi may sound like an oxymoron, but it does exist. And we're not talking about the stuff you pick up at a gas station. Here are seven places around town serving cheap sushi you can feel good about. It's not omakase, but if you're into basic hand rolls and nigiri, we've got you covered. Sushi Stop: There's a reason behind the nightly crowd outside the Sushi Stop location on Franklin. Yes it's a chain serving cheap sushi, but they do it well, and everyone is in on the secret. Fresh albacore, tuna, white tuna and salmon sashimi are all priced at less than $6 a plate. You can get a killer salmon skin salad for $2.75, the crispy rice appetizer (also $2.75) comes with a crispy rice patty covered in a mound of spicy tuna, avocado and jalapeno, and the baked blue crab hand roll ($4.10) is a dependable favorite wrapped in colored soy paper.

We're unsure why it's colored, but it adds to the charm. 5917 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 468-2496. .Sushi Kula: Any connoisseur might consider eating sushi from a revolving conveyor belt as the equivalent to playing Russian roulette. At sushi Kula it's a different story. Sure, you can grab something off the revolving belt. During peak meal times fish flies off the belt, and the chefs can barely keep up with the demand. But you can also order something fresh directly from your server. Try the sake-marinated tuna or salmon sushi ($2 for two pieces) or the spicy scallop hand roll ($4). 333 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles, (213) 290-9631.  Sushi Roku happy hour: This sushi restaurant is normally considered to be on the more expensive side, but the lounge at the location in Old Town Pasadena offers happy hour every Monday, all night. You can get the restaurant's classic appetizer, the spicy tuna on crispy rice for $5 and order a variety of hand rolls for $3, and cut rolls for $5. Or spring for the albacore tataki with crispy onions for $5. 

/restaurants/sushiroku.Omi Sushi: This small sushi restaurant in West Hollywood has happy hour daily from 4 to 10 p.m. Yes, six full hours of discounted sushi and there's plenty to take advantage of. White tuna sushi, albacore and scallop nigiri are all priced at $3.75. And this is the place to be if you're into rolls. But we're not talking spicy tuna or cucumber. The Jessica Alba-core roll (we know, major points for the name) is made with chunks of spicy albacore, jalapeno and raw onions, it's $11.95, and enough for a full meal.  Blue C Sushi: This Seattle-based restaurant, which only uses sustainable fish, opened its first California location at the Sunset and Vine shopping center across from the Arclight theater earlier this year. There's a conveyor belt with plenty of rolls on colored plates denoting prices, or you can order directly from your server. Most basic nigiri, including the salmon, tuna and mackerel, is priced at $4 or $4.75, and $3 during happy hour (daily from 3 to 6:30 p.m.)