Chinese-Owned Japanese Restaurants 

Japanese food has not gone away in America.  Since the introduction of sushi in the 1980's in L.A., Japanese food has only gotten more and more popular.  With this popularity comes opportunity for profit, which brings me to the topic of today:  Chinese-owned Japanese restaurants.  Many people who are unfamiliar with Asian food don't see the big deal, but it is a very strange phenomenon if you think about it.

In any major city, you will find Japanese restaurants popping up, but almost none of these are owned by Japanese people.  Japanese food is perhaps the only ethnic food in America that suffers from this.  Would you walk into an Italian joint owned by a Chinese guy?  How about a Mexican place owned by an Italian?  I'm not saying the food can't be good in such places, but it just doesn't happen with any other type of ethnic food.

Of course, the distinction is not merely a question of authenticity.  If the Chinese owners and staff can deliver a good dining experience, then it would be no big deal.  However, when Chinese people run Japanese places, they also bring along Chinese sensibilities - and you get some really heavy Japanese food.  Also, these Chinese run places tend to cut corners - serving ramen cold to cut down on heating costs, using old oil for the tempura, etc.

So, when you decide to check out a Japanese restaurant, some tips:

-Is the inside decorated with all sorts of kitschy Japanese stuff like mini samurai armor?  It's mostly run by Chinese.  A Japanese run place won't have all that gaudy Japanese tourist stuff all over the place.
-Do they specialize or do they try to serve everything?  Most Japanese run places tend to conentrate on a specific type of food - ramen or yakitori, for example.  Chinese run places will try to serve everything, from sushi to ramen to izakaya style
-Do they have side dish menu?  Most Japanese run places with have a side dish menu serving home-styled cooked food.  Chinese run places will never have this because they just tend to stick to the well known recipes.
-Finally, if the place has a cheesy name such as "sushi a go go" or "zen garden", you know you're in for a ride.