Can you bring Sushi/Bento into the US?

Hi Everyone,

After falling in love with the sushi ekiben as I haven't experienced sushi exactly like it in the US, I wish when returning back from my next trip to Japan that I could bring back sushi and non-sushi bentos. My question to those who are familiar with US Customs when bring in foreign products is: can I bring them with me back to the States without running into trouble?

The kind of sushi bentos I plan to bring back are most likely the sushi with the fish marinated in vinegar but would like to know if it's also possible for non marinated sushi (highly doubt this is possible) to be fine from a plane ride from NRT to LAX. I also plan to immediately refrigerate them when I get back. If there are any other alternatives, please let me know. Thanks!

That's nasty dude, the sushi, and most likely the bento would go bad before you even land in the US.

And no, US customs would not let you bring in sushi if you were to declare it. If you want to try and pack a sushi bento into your backpack and not declare it, go for it but by the time you eat it it will taste worse than US gas station sushi!

My question to those who are familiar with US Customs when bring in foreign products is: can I bring them with me back to the States without running into trouble?

Generally yes, as long as they don't contain meat products.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/~/travelers-bringing-f...

The kind of sushi bentos I plan to bring back are most likely the sushi with the fish marinated in vinegar but would like to know if it's also possible for non marinated sushi (highly doubt this is possible) to be fine from a plane ride from NRT to LAX. I also plan to immediately refrigerate them when I get back.

You're talking about osuzushi? That should be fine according the the customs page linked above. Just note that it doesn't have a very long shelf life and may only last a few days or less in the refrigerator before the rice gets too hard.

That's nasty dude, the sushi, and most likely the bento would go bad before you even land in the US.

That is possible (although vinegar marinated sushi gives you a little more leeway), so make sure that you pack it with ice. Sometimes the shop can supply small ice packs for you if you won't be able to refrigerate it soon.

I read in some blogs that Saba-bou-sushi is sold as a souvenir at 京樽 in NARITA airport.
http://www.narita-airport.jp/jp/shops/rest_shop/rest/floor_list/detail...

Hi everyone,

Granted, the non vinegar marinated sushi isn't likely to hold up. Just was curious to see if there were any possibilities of how the non-vinegared sushi could hold up by some trick I don't know about as that's how some of the sushi ekiben seemed to hold up quite well (within half a day) with regards to the aid of vinegared fish. It was from these ekiben that wanted me to question if it was possible to bring it across the US. This is what I had in mind: http://i.imgur.com/KFKxoNH.jpg

Most likely, I plan to bring these with me instead as all the ingredients are cooked as I had no issue with bringing in cooked food (a cake, literally and no pun intended) into the US last time. These are futomaki/ehomaki (not sure what exactly is the difference but appreciated if someone were to explain) from the famous Kyubey in Ginza. At 9x the price (3,150\) of a conbini futomaki during Setsubun, they better be good and they supposedly are according to the following: http://foodfile.typepad.com/blog/2014/02/my-entry.html

Well as mentioned, you can probably bring it through. Its just that the shelf life of sushi is so short that it doesn't really make sense to bring large quantities with you. Sushi does not keep well in the refrigerator so you'll need to eat what you bring over rather immediately. Not a bad idea if its something that you want to share on your arrival day, but not much help if you want to stock a lot of sushi bento for later.

Update: I've received an email from the USDA/APHIS saying that as it recognizes Japan as affected with HPAI and ND pathogens, anything containing eggs, both cooked and uncooked, in regards to the ehomaki I had wanted to bring over are not allowed entry. However, fish is fine, even the fresh ones, as one commenter had said. I just have to share it on the same day as the commenter before me had said. Thanks for your replies.

Any form of seafood is ok, even day old rotten sushi. I have brought in dry ice pack before.
Why don't you go to the Little Tokyo in LA. You can buy them or order at a restaurant.