Hayward Japan Grill is located at 920 C Street between Mission and Main in Hayward. It seems to have been here for ten years or so (judging from Yelp reviews), though I’ll admit that I’ve never noticed it. We tried this place for the first time last week and I was not particularly excited about what we found.

The atmosphere isn’t fabulous by any means, but they’ve made a bit of effort with some hanging plants and traditional Japanese decorations. The dining room itself is actually quite large and could hold quite a few patrons if need be. I am curious if the “need” ever “be” though; the place was dead (though it was a Wednesday)…. 

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Good Japanese in Hayward, what, what?!  We just went to Wakamatsu Japanese Restaurant on Foothill Boulevard between C and D Streets.  Where is that place, you ask?  Yeah, it’s, like, the definition of a hole in the wall and totally just blends into the background of crap on Foothill.  But it’s good!… 

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When I first had a good look at Tomodachi, located between Sizzler and the random Chinese restaurant on the corner of Middle on Hesperian, I could have sworn it was not there.  I’ve lived in Hayward for many years and have never seen Tomodachi.  My sister, in response to the suggestion of having dinner there, insisted that we were thinking of the Sizzler, just as I did.  I’m not sure why it blends into that long-lived Toys R Us shopping center, but it sort of just gets lost in the mess to me.

Which is why I need to post about it.  This place should not be overlooked.  It should be bursting with business on every night.  In my opinion, Hayward has a deficiency in the way of good Japanese restaurants.  I do not claim to have patronized them all (if you know a good one, tell me!), but the ones I have attended were less than impressive (save Naked Fish, which was decent).  Tomodachi has taken the lead by a mile so far…. 

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This tiny shop on Jackson Street in Hayward (in the Safeway shopping center) looks very unassuming from the outside.  I’m not sure if I would have ever gone in if my mom hadn’t recommended it (and if I didn’t have this blog).  But mom speaks highly of the food, so we gave it a try.

The atmosphere inside is surprisingly nice.  It’s nothing super special, really, but it’s quaint and clean and has a theme that isn’t just “unpainted walls”.  The menu selection was extensive, creative, and well-organized, and it took me some time to decide between the dishes.  I chose the Naked Fish Don which is teriyaki white fish and tempura veggies over rice, while boyfriend had a bento box of salmon teriyaki and California rolls…. 

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Update: This restaurant is now closed.

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Akaihana Japanese Restaurant is at 22560 Foothill Boulevard, right in the beating heart of downtown Hayward.  And by “beating heart” I really mean the barely breathing clogged artery that is central Hayward, written with all the love of a long-time local.  This place used to be Ichiban, which was a highly famed Japanese joint in the area during its heyday about 20 years ago.  As I understand it, Ichiban became a bit less popular over the years and then changed over to Akaihana sometime in the recent past (last 2 years?).  And from what I can tell, this change has yet to add a spark of life to Hayward’s Japanese culinary needs…. 

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