by C Song

Created on: July 12, 2009

Though small, San Jose's Japantown is a charming and historic community with much to offer. Once the roughly fashioned home of single Japanese men working in fruit orchards, the nature of the town has transformed over time to the quaint neighborhood it is today. Definitely not a tourist trap, Japantown is a mix of history and heritage, while still flourishing in the here-and-now. Along with historic landmarks and specialty stores, doctors, dentists, lawyers, non-profit organizations, churches flourish in Japantown. The influence of the past and liveliness of the present are especially evident in the neighborhood's culinary scene. Here you can find traditional Japanese cooking, as it has been for generations. But you might also be surprised to find a plethora of other cuisines: American, Ethiopian, and Korean, to name a few.

Kaita Restaurant
215 Jackson St
San Jose, CA 95112

Kaita serves Japanese cuisine specializing in flavors from Central Japan. Its authenticity is evident just from peeking inside the small restaurant; almost everyone patrons and staff is Japanese, and some of the waitresses do not speak English. This is not a place where you'll find rolls with cream cheese or jalapeos; Kaita is not the destination for Americanized sushi. But what you will find is fresh sashimi, perfectly crunchy tempura, and giant portions of chicken karaage. Your best bets are the special daily combinations written on the white board in the restaurant. Their negi-toro don is especially delicious. This dish has a mound of toto, cut of tuna, with ginger and scallions over sushi rice, and also accompanied by agedashi tofu and a piping hot bowl of soup. If you want a great bargain for lunch, try one of their bento boxes. The Kaita combo is a bento box with spanish mackerel, a breaded pork cutlet, three rolls, rice, seaweed salad, potato salad and soup, all for just $10.50. Reasonable prices,decent portions, authenticity, and, most importantly, tasty food what more could you want from a restaurant? Kaita's is open from 11:30 am till 2:00pm for lunch and 5:00pm till 9:30pm for dinner, and it is closed on Sundays.

Kubota Restaurant
593 N 5th St
San Jose, CA 95112

The first thing you'll notice about Kubota is the restaurant's dcor; a Japanese garden complete with a bamboo grove at the entrance, and modern stylish interior with subtle ambient lighting. Kubota's appearance matches its food; both are traditional Japanese with a modern twist. The presentation

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