Harukoma Head Shop

When I was walking in the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade area, I found a queue of an unbelievably long length in the shopping arcade. The restaurant that had created the line was a sushi restaurant called Harukoma Head Shop, which I will introduce here. When I looked up the restaurant on the Internet later, I found out that it is famous for its thick sushi items and inexpensive prices.

So, I decided to give it a try! So I went to Harukoma Head Shop on a weekday to try their sushi. I was hopeful that the line would not be so long since it was a weekday, but what actually happened was…

Getting in line the wrong way is frowned upon… I will explain how to get in line and how to get out of line at Harukoma Head Shop.

I arrived at Harukoma Head Shop 30 minutes before opening time. There were already a few people in line at the storefront, but from a distance, I thought, “Well, that’s about the size of it…”.

But when I actually arrived in front of the restaurant, I realized that the situation was not so easy. Because there was a red cone standing in front of the store…

The system is to line up from the red cone behind the red cone. Counting from the front of the line, I was astonished to see a long line of more than 20 people at this point. If you don’t notice this and get in the short line at the storefront, it is frowned upon, so be careful, especially if you are visiting the store for the first time.

The least they could do was open the restaurant 15 minutes before the official opening time that day. Unfortunately, I could not enter the restaurant on the first round, as Harukoma Head Shop has seating for 25 customers, including 13 counter chairs and four tables for four people. However, due to the fact that it was a weekday, customers stayed for a shorter period of time, and after a 15-minute wait, I could enter the restaurant. There is a menu list and a notepad for ordering at the front of the restaurant, so…

Choose what you want to order while you wait (you can order additional items even after entering the restaurant)…

Is the rumor true that Harukoma’s sushi is thicker and less expensive? I verified it…

Let me introduce what I ordered at Harukoma Head Shop. There are 5 kinds of sushi: Hamachi, Shima-aji, Tai, Toro, and Tekkamaki…

Within a couple of minutes after taking my seat, the nigiri and maki that I had ordered were in front of me. I think I made a mistake in ordering the red ones… I just chose what I wanted to eat at that moment.

Let’s eat the sushi… I think the size of a piece of sushi is about average, but the fish is certainly thick. It is at least twice as thick as conveyor-belt sushi, and more than three times as thick if it is thicker. The price starts at 150 yen per 2 pieces (tax not included)…as the rumor goes, it is a great value for money. The most expensive item is 850 yen per 2 pieces, so I think the cost performance, including quality, far exceeds that of conveyor-belt sushi.

I still had room in my stomach and in my wallet for more, but I had other things to do later that day, so I paid for the above five items. This explains why there is always a huge line for this restaurant every day. The sushi is of a different grade, but the volume alone is better than that of Sushi Kappo Koise in Sakata. If you are looking for a place where you can satisfy your hunger for sushi with beer or sake, Harukoma is the place to go at a reasonable price.

Other examples of Harukoma Head Shop’s menu (prices do not include tax)

• Sashimi (7 kinds of sashimi): from 2,700 yen
• Grilled eel on the grill: 1,200 yen
• Vinegared crab 1150 yen
• Sashimi with herring roe 1150 yen
• Ootoro (large fatty tuna): 850 yen for 2 pieces
• Sea urchin 2 pcs. 550 yen
• Abalone: 550 yen per 2 pieces

Note: Harukoma Head Shop also offers take-out service (container fee not included).

The nearby Harukoma Branch is also very busy… Access to Harukoma Head Shop is a 3-minute walk from Tenjinbashisuji Rokuchome Station on the Hankyu Railway line, the nearest station.

Harukoma also has a Harukoma Branch about a 2-minute walk from the Head Shop. Like the main restaurant, this branch was also very busy, and when I dropped by the branch after finishing my meal, there was a line of about 20 people waiting in line. According to online reviews, there is little difference in the menu, but the branch seems to be more spacious with a bigger box. I heard that the branch also has seats for banquets… So, if you make good use of the main restaurant and the branch, you can enjoy a very fulfilling sushi life, don’t you think?

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…