by C Song

Created on: July 12, 2009

When seeking San Jose's best Japanese food, it is only apt that we begin our search in San Jose's Japantown. Originally a group of wooden shacks home to Japanese male workers in fruit orchards, San Jose's Japanese community was finally established when women and children were allowed to emigrate in 1907. But harsh times faced the Japanese families, most notably after the bombing of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese were relocated to internment camps. Fortunately, these travesties did not completely dampen their spirits. Today, Japantown is alive and thriving with professional practices, shops, churches, and, of course, restaurants. Japantown has changed much since its earliest days, but the mainstay has been and will continue to be the delicious cuisine enjoyed by generation after generation.

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.

Okayama Restaurant
565-A North 6th St
San Jose, CA 95112

Okayama is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in San Jose. You know a restaurant passes the litmus test of traditional cooking when most of the patrons in the establishment are Japanese families from the area. Okayama serves real home style Japanese food none of thse floating boats with fish of questionable freshness here. Their vegetable tempura

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