Every Minute Counts at These Tokyo Cafes

Some Tokyo eateries are taking fast food a little too literally these days, charging diners not by the meal but by the minute. At Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo Seafort, overlooking Tokyo Bay, the Grand Cafe charges about 25 cents per minute for light dinner and dessert. Diners punch a card into a time clock at the start and end of the meal. Some franchises with all-you-can-eat sushi or shabu shabu--thin slices of beef quick-cooked in boiling broth or water--place an hour or 90-minute limit on the buffet.