Closed Japanese Businesses

This post is a work in progress. Am I missing something? Let me know at keiko dot in dot boston [at] gmail dot com!
Last updated: 5/15/18

Former home of Miso Market

Well, it's pretty sad that I have to write this post but with the closings of two Japanese grocery stores, one restaurant, and one cafe in the past 6 months, I decided I should list them separately in case people wonder what happened to them. I've also listed a few businesses that closed years ago that I still hear people talk about. I will update this post as needed.


FOOD
Grocery Stores | Restaurants | Other Japanese Food Businesses

SHOPPING & SERVICES
Books | Hair Stylists
 

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Grocery Stores

Japan Village Mart | 200 Washington St., Brookline, MA - Brookline Village | Yelp

Closed spring 2013.

Kotobukiya Japanese Market | 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Exchange 

Closed in May 2009. Former employees of Kotobukiya now run Ebisuya, the only exclusively Japanese grocery store in New England that I'm aware of. 

Miso Market | 1963 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square | Yelp

Closed August 2013.

Yoshinoya | 36 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA - Central Square | Yelp

Closed May 2007.

Restaurants

Ken's Ramen House | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed January 2011. Interesting rumor on Eater that a new somewhat related Ken's Ramen is coming to Providence. It seems they already put up a website.

Pikaichi | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp
Closed December 2017. In 2011 Pikaichi bought Ken's Ramen House and moved into the space they occupied at the grocery store formerly known as the Super 88. Due to the landlord wanting to drastically raise their rent in 2017, they decided to close their Allston location and relocate. They reopened at 123 Boston Ave. in Medford, MA in April 2018.

Shiro Japanese Restaurant | 3 Gates Pond Rd., Berlin, MA 01503 | Yelp
Closed September 2013. They posted to Facebook post on 9/19/13 saying they were closed until further notice for renovations. On 12/24/13 they posted to Facebook saying they were still working on their renovations, but as far as I saw, they never reopened.

Snappy Sushi / Snappy Ramen |  | Yelp
Closed 11/19/17. Technically this isn't a total closing but a relocation, however since they're in a new location under a new name I thought I would list it here. The restaurant formerly known as Snappy Sushi and renamed in August 2013 to Snappy Ramen has moved to the other side of Davis Square and reopened with a new menu as Snappy Kitchen at 234 Elm Street. There is also a Snappy Sushi location on Newbury St. in Boston that remains open.

Sushi Island | 397 Main St., ‎Wakefield, MA | Yelp
According to a note on their website, Sushi Island closed on 8/25/13. The Aokis hope to open a new restaurant in a new location.
Update 1/11/14: The Aoki's are hoping to working on opening their new restaurant, Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine in Marblehead.

Yakitori Zai | 315 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA - South End | Yelp
Closed summer 2013.

Other Japanese Food Businesses

Japonaise Bakery
1032 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed summer 2013.
1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140 - Porter Exchange | Yelp
Closed 3/17/15. Unclear if closure is temporary. Summer 2015 - Confirmed closure is permanent.
The Brookline, MA location is still open.

Mochi Kitchen
Somerville, MA | Yelp
Closed March 2015.
The Boston Globe: Mochi made-to-order!

Books

Sasuga Japanese Bookstore | 7 Upland Rd., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square
Brick and mortar store closed 2004, online store closed 2010.

Hair Stylists

Kanoko Hair for Women @ Fernanda's Beauty Salon | 75 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143 - Union Square
Closed 10/27/14.

See my Directory of Greater Boston Japanese Businesses & Organizations for a partial list of businesses and organizations that are still open.

Inside the redecorated Yume Wo Katare

Please see my Everything you need to know about Yume Wo Katare post 

for more information.

Yume Wo Katare was closed for most of the summer, but they're reopening tonight. I got a picture through the window a couple of weeks ago which didn't show much, so I stopped by this afternoon and got some shots of the interior. It's more of a makeover than a renovation. A guy named Hayato did the artwork and they have a new mascot - Buta-Ra-Man! (10/11/17: The artist is Hayato Kawai, who has been Yume Wo Katare's Creative Director since August 2012.)

Buta-Ra-Man

Ninniku Iremasuka?

The Three Little Pigs and the Big Delicious Bowls

You might wonder what the deal is with the gold train. I asked Tsuyoshi what it was and he said "To-ma-su" (as in Thomas the Tank Engine), then he said it was actually Yume-su (note the kanji for yume on the back).

Yume-su

Tasty cha-su ready to go

More photos beginning here.

Izakaya Ittoku!

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

It seems that Ittoku set up a Facebook page last month saying they would open in August, although we're at the end of the month and they're not open yet. They're hiring staff so hopefully they'll open soon.

Ebi Sushi Façade Makeover Indiegogo Campaign

Current façade 

Supporters of Ebi Sushi, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants, recently launched an Indigogo campaign to raise funds for a makeover of their building's façade, which doesn't really reflect what the inside of the restaurant is like or how good the food is. I admit that for a long time I didn't go in because it looked like a dive. I only investigated after hearing a rave review from a regular customer. Had it not been for her, I might never have gone. I think a lot of Ebi Sushi's customers have come through word of mouth. Many of my friends have become regular customers and everyone says the same thing - they're shocked the food is good because they didn't want to go because of the outside.

The vision

Perks run the gamut:

• $10 gets you a shout out on their Facebook page
• $20 gets you an origami crane (folded by me!) Update 8/31/13: It seems I was given incorrect information. I thought you got to keep the crane but I just noticed that the perk actually states that the crane will hang in the restaurant in your honor. I suspect that if you'd rather have the crane, José will be more than happy to let you take it home.
• $25 gets you 10 free miso soups
• $50 gets you entrance to a sake (and food) tasting event
• $150 gets you a private sushi class at the restaurant with co-owner José Garcia

Snappy Ramen: Davis Square now has Ramen

The Snappy Sushi sign is still up

Update 9/28/13: Finally made it back to Snappy to try the Tsukemen. It was very good and the pork belly was much improved. The menu and interior has changed a little bit since my last visit. Ramen is now more customizable. Most bowls start with a cheap basic ramen with a few toppings to which you can add extra toppings. The prices appear lower, but I think that just reflects them moving some of the toppings to the extra toppings list (i.e.: Tonkotsu is now $9, but doesn't include pork belly which you can add for $3, which equals $12, the original Tonkotsu price).

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Sometime in the past few days, Snappy Sushi in Davis Square became Snappy Ramen. The sign still says Snappy Sushi, but there's a new logo on the door and the sign in the window spells out Snappy Ramen. The restaurant has been redecorated and the seating reconfigured.

They're still serving sushi, but the menu is limited to just 10 options.  There are currently 5 options for ramen:

• Chicken Shoyu - $10 - no pork
• Tonkotsu - $12 - pork broth
• Spicy Miso - $14 - pork broth
• Tsukemen - $14 - pork & fish broth. Not available until next week. Tsukemen is usually served with very hot broth separate from cold noodles which you dip in the broth. Snappy plans to serve warm broth separate from lukewarm noodles. 
• Cold Ramen - $10 - sesame-based sauce. Similar to mazamen. There's usually a crabstick in it, but it can be made vegetarian. This is just on the menu for summer.

In addition, they have 3 options for appetizers and an assortment of Japanese and American beer. I asked the waitress if there were any plans to expand the menu over time and she wasn't sure. I wasn't able to ask the chef at that point because they were too busy. Will find out next time I go.

Apparently they serve ramen at Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street, which I wasn't aware of. The ramen at Snappy Ramen is different - the broth takes 4-6 hours to make, whereas on Newbury Street they're using commercially-made paste to make the broth. Snappy Sushi and Snappy Ramen are owned by Kazu Aotani, who also owns Yakitori Zai. I should note that I know Kazu-san socially through my activities with Tewassa. He's been a big supporter, providing gift certificates for our Christmas concert last year, bringing Zai's yakitori chef to cook at one of our quilt send-off parties, and feeding the volunteers at a showing of Fukushima 2011: Chronicles from the Heartland.

Fans of Yakitori Zai's weekend ramen lunch may wonder if the ramen is the same as Zai. I thought it might be, but I was told that while Snappy's ramen is the same style as Zai's, they're using different recipes.

Tonkotsu minus negi and fried onions

I was a big fan of Zai's tonkotsu so I had to try Snappy's. It comes with commercially-made straight soba-like noodles that are traditional for tonkotsu ramen, two pieces of pork belly (mine came with one medium sized and one small), a big pile of what are often called wood ear mushrooms - the unfortunate correct name is actually cloud ear fungus or arage kikurage (キクラゲ) in Japanese, lightly toasted sesame seeds, and negi (scallions) and fried onions (not pictured because I got mine without). 

The broth was on the full-bodied side, but not as rich or as creamy as Zai's broth which was opaque. I could actually see my noodles at Snappy. The pork belly was a little confusing. I couldn't decide if it was kakuni or cha-su so I asked. Chef Youji Iwakura said it's a bit of both - he started cooking it as kakuni but finished as cha-su. While the flavor was good, it wasn't as soft as Zai or Osushi's kakuni or Yume Wo Katare's cha-su. I'm hoping that was a one-time problem. I happen to really like wood ear so I enjoyed it even though it's not a commonly used ingredient, which the chef acknowledged. The toasted sesame was a nice addition and added a subtle nutty flavor. The noodles tasted the same as what Zai was using on a couple of my visits there (on some visits they were using the curly noodles that most people are familiar with). 

Front: Chicken Shoyu, Back: Spicy Miso

Snappy Ramen seats 6 at the bar, 12 at a large table in the center of the room, and up to 4 at a smaller table near the window. I think their total capacity may be 23 because I saw an additional chair off to the side. They also have one high chair.

I arrived a few minutes after they opened so service was fast, but they're still training their staff and probably still working things out in the cooking process so I'd expect service and food to vary in the next few weeks. When I left, the restaurant was less than half full but was extremely noisy. If you're looking for a restaurant to have a quiet private conversation, this isn't it, especially since you're likely to be seated at the large table.

Snappy's ramen is quite different from Yume Wo Katare and Sapporo Ramen in nearby Porter Square so I don't see them as being in direct competition. I also suspect that there's enough business to go around regardless. I'm sure some people will love Snappy Ramen and other's will hate it.

Snappy's prices are a bit on the high side compared with other ramen in Boston. My meal was around $15 after tax and tip. I can't decide if the food quality justifies the prices. I think perhaps not. The restaurant is not as upscale as Zai or Osushi (which both charge $14 for ramen) and they don't put as much work into the broth as some other restaurants. The noodles aren't handmade. However, I didn't leave hungry (a problem I have at Sapporo) and the broth was good enough to finish, so I will definitely be back. I encourage readers to check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Additional photos.

Closed for Good? Yakitori Zai may not be Reopening

Update 9/9/13: Boston Restaurant Talk is reporting that the closure is official because the building is for sale. Also, Yakitori Zai's website is no longer up.

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

Yesterday I heard from one of my restaurant sources that Yakitori Zai's temporary closure is in fact permanent. Last night I tried to reach owner Kazu Aotani (also owner of Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street and the newly rebranded Snappy Ramen in Davis Square) who I know socially to get confirmation, but wasn't able to. Today I went to Snappy Ramen for lunch (post to follow) and recognized one of the staff from Zai. I asked if the rumor was accurate. It was immediately clear that I'd asked an awkward question so I suggested that Zai's future was "unclear" to which he agreed and said it might reopen at a new location.

Later in the day I heard from a friend in the Japanese community that she had also heard Zai is permanently closed. Between the two sources I pieced together that the closure may have been the result of a neighbor(s?) complaining about the venting of Zai's grill. If so, it won't be the first time a restaurant in a mostly residential neighborhood has been forced to close due to issues with the neighbors. Yakitori Zai has only been open since June 2012, so it's really unfortunate they couldn't work things out to remain where they are.

Fans of Zai's weekend ramen lunch can check out Snappy Ramen. The chef told me that their ramen is a little different from Zai's but the same style.

Front: Chicken Shoyu, Back: Spicy Miso

Fans of Zai's yakitori may want to head to Ittoku when it opens. I was also told by my restaurant source that Zai's yakitori chef, Sho Inoue, had found a new job at Ittoku. I confirmed this with co-owner Carlos Garcia who gave me permission to share the news. Co-owner Chiki-san gave me a sneak peak of their menu a few weeks ago but I'm wondering if they'll be retooling the yakitori section of the menu now that they have a trained yakitori chef. In my excitement, I forgot to ask Carlos. (Update 9/7/13: I talked to Chiki-san today. The yakitori portion of their menu will not be changed. He showed me pictures of the interior, including the yakitori grill. Looks really nice! Update 11/11/13: Inoue-san's plans changed and he returned to Japan.)

More Food News: Snappy Ramen, Miso Market

Menu @ Snappy Ramen. Photo courtesy of sartak

Snappy Ramen!

I was really surprised to hear from 2 people today that Snappy Sushi in Davis Square has re-branded as Snappy Ramen. I hadn't heard anything about it. I wasn't able to get there today, but my friend sartak has kindly said I could share his pictures. Looking at the menu, my guess is that they took most of the ramen dishes from the Yakitori Zai weekend ramen menu (they have the same owner). I'm excited to have more ramen nearby and hope to get there this weekend. Their hours are Sunday through Thursday 11:30am to 10pm and Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 11pm. Update 11/18/13: They're no longer open for lunch Monday - Thursday. Their hours as of 11/6/13 were Monday - Friday 5 - 10pm, Friday - Saturday 11:30am - midnight, Sunday 11:30am - 10pm. 

See also: Snappy Ramen: Davis Square now has Ramen

Miso Market

Miso Market is closing at or before the end of the month. I went by today and there's not much left. They had lots of Matcha Cream Pocky and assorted candy, a few drinks, random food, and housewares including some beautiful Japanese dishes. The shelves are quite bare and all the refrigerated food is gone. The owners told me that the person who was making their prepared food is planning to continue selling from Chocho's, the Korean restaurant in the Porter Exchange.