The Most Popular Restaurant in San Jose Japantown
on May 22, 2020
What was the most popular restaurant in early San Jose Japantown? Did the Issei* and Nisei** patronize a local sushi bar or bento box cafe? No, the most popular eatery for the Japanese was the Chinese food at Ken Ying Low Restaurant on North Sixth Street. During the first half of the 20th century, everyone in Japantown knew Ng Guey, the cook. Jun and Kazuo Tanizawa, and Edna Lee talk about Ng Guey’s famous dishes, Shi-son and Hom Yu. What were his recipes? Watch and find out.
*(first generation Japanese, the first to arrive from Japan)
** (second generation Japanese, the first born in the United States)
Learn about other historic gems through Hidden Histories, an exciting Augmented Reality art project in San Jose Japantown. We are commissioning nine new works of art that will be placed throughout Japantown.