Very good Japanese food right in the heart of downtown San Francisco! We stopped in for lunch on a Tuesday and hit the jackpot with their lunch box special. For $18, you get an incredible spread: * your choice of gyoza, shumai, or tofu * a California roll or avocado roll * a protein of your choice Plus it all comes with edamame, miso soup, and seaweed salad. Honestly? That's my kind of deal. Everything we tried was delicious. In addition to the lunch box, we ordered a dragon roll and a dynamite roll, both of which were fresh, flavorful, and beautifully done. My husband went with the Una Ten Donburi. It was tasty, but at $30, it did feel a bit steep compared to the rest of the menu. The restaurant looked like your typical Japanese style space with the sushi rollers at the entrance and simple tables and decor. I do have two minor negatives worth mentioning. First, the edamame was cold and unsalted. I'm an edamame lover, and nothing beats it hot, freshly steamed, and generously showered in salt. So that was a little disappointing. Second, our server (I believe his name was Kayz) seemed visibly annoyed when we asked to split the check. As a server myself, I know this isn't rocket science, and guests should never be made to feel uncomfortable for something so standard, especially after there had already been a small mix-up with our roll order (we received two dynamite rolls instead of one dynamite and one dragon). We didn't make a fuss at the time because mistakes happen, but the attitude at the end definitely stood out. That said, the food itself was solid, the lunch special is a fantastic value, and overall we still had a good experience. I would absolutely return and would recommend this spot, just hoping for a smoother service experience next time. read more

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According to what I wrote on Yelp, I had a decent meal at their sister restaurant in the Metreon well before it shuttered, like over a decade ago. My meal apparently wasn't memorable enough to motivate me to visit this location, that is, until quite recently. I decided to have lunch here after a nearby medical appointment. It wasn't crowded at all. Only a couple of solo diners and a loud senior couple. I wasn't in a sushi mood and thought I'd go healthy with the saba shioyaki. However, at the last minute, I went with the $19 Ika Yaki, a whole BBQ squid sliced and saturated in teriyaki sauce with a dab of shichimi mayo (Photo 8). The portion was generous and the texture was firm with enough elasticity. Unfortunately the teriyaki sauce did nothing to enhance the dish, and I wished they served it on the side. I also ordered the $8 Agedashi Tofu, usually a foolproof appetizer for me. It certainly looked right (Photo 9), but I was unpleasantly surprised how tongue-burning hot it was. The cubes of tofu must've just come right out of the deep fryer. The dashi broth helped calm the heat down but a little too late. I'm sure glad I sprung for the $3 bowl of Rice (Photo 10). That calmed what was left of my tongue down. FOOD - 3 stars...execution errors mar the dishes here AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...spacious enough since it was empty, sushi bar seating was available SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive enough TOTAL - 3 stars...not my favorite Japanese spot RELATED - Exploring the Tenderloin? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/hu44dWMabs read more

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I had the special spicy edamame and chawan mushi (custard with seafood and mushrooms) and both were good. Needed a little bit of salt, but solid. Nice spicy flavor on the edamame...miso, spicy in almost a clove-like way. Miso soup was classic, standard, solid. I had the sashimi appetizer and that was my favorite part!..fresh, vibrant, served with bright shiso...I'll come back. The service was friendly and the perfect level of attentive. Ambiance was charming, quaint (but lots of seating), satisfying, and overall, for lunch, it's a great chill little escape. I wonder what it's like at night. read more

Sanraku - Chawan Mushi -- egg custard with various shellfish and shiitake. - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

This was a cozy place, perfect after a full day of walking around the city!! My mom and I were seated promptly as there was just one big table with about 8 guests - and us two. The waitresses were really nice, and the food came out really quickly! I had the miso soup, house salad as well as the unagi nigiri which was so fresh and delicious. My mom had the salmon teriyaki which she said was so good, and I had the chicken teriyaki of which we both asked for the teriyaki dressing to be on the side! The portions were good, and it was a solid place!! read more

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It was an okay place. Not too memorable when it comes to the dishes we had. Had the chirashi bowl and a negihama roll. Others had the omakase. There are more options for better sushi in the same area and pricing. It does not cater to those who've had their fair shares of sushi. read more

A menu that's going to drive you insane because of its endless choices of delicious food, very attentive and friendly service (Kay-C was amazing), in a very clean restaurant with a busy vibe and relaxing music on the background as you devour slowly every savory bite. read more

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The Chirashi bowl was outstanding, the fish was fresh and the Uni was sweet and not fishy. Lisa my server was so sweet and helpful. She explained the difference between the wasabi . She is beautiful and kind. The place is clean and uniquely designed. There were a lot of regulars meaning that their food is delicious. I would surely return for the food and service. read more

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We've been coming here for years and haven't been here since before Covid . Teriyaki chicken was terrible. It was round pieces of hard dry white meat chicken. The miso soup had very little flavor. My son ordered the teriyaki salmon and it was mediocre. $178 for mediocre food. I do not know what has happened to our favorite Japanese restaurant. We tried to see if new ownership had taken over, but there was nothing on the Internet about it. Service was fantastic. Everyone was friendly. But the food is no longer the quality it used to be. Sadly, we won't be coming back. read more

Sanraku - Dry, hard white meat, chicken - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Starting with what went wrong: I ordered my food for delivery directly via their website, and the food was left in my hotel without any warning, it sat there for almost 45 minutes until I found it. No text, call, nothing to inform the status of the order. Now about the food: I ordered the Kaisen Chirashi, which even though sat on the hotel counter for a while before I ate, was delicious and fresh. All the fish was delicious but the star was the sea urchin, super fresh and tasty. Rice was also well made with good texture and stickiness. read more

Exceptional sushi in the heart of San Francisco. The sashimi platter was outstanding. The fish was extremely well prepared an delicious. The hamachi yellowtail was incredible and is a must have! They have a great selection of sake to choose from, I highly recommend the sake flight. The service was wonderful and very attentive. The overall feel of the place is warm and comfortable and a place I highly recommend to anyone looking for sushi. read more

Sanraku - Sashimi Platter - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We stumbled across this place when we were staying at a hotel nearby, and I'm so glad we tried it! Right off the bat, I was very pleased to find out they take reservations because we were a pretty big group for a Saturday night and didn't want to go far. The food was amazing. Everything tasted like very high quality food. And I mean everything! We had sushi rolls, sashimi, agedashi tofu, tempura, chicken teriyaki, salmon, another chicken rice plate. Every single thing I tried was so delicious! Servers were nice and attentive. Even the other customers were nice lol. Overall a great experience and we were very pleased that we picked that place for our dinner. read more

Sanraku - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is run down and the food is not up to authentic Japanese food. The sushi is definitely has a bland frozen taste to it. The rice is on the harder side not sushi rice cooked to perfection. We ordered the bento combinations with Tempura and Tonkatsu which was done correctly but nothing to brag about. The place is lacking Authenticity. The service wasn't great but decent. The quality of food being provided doesn't match the prices they were charging to their customers. read more

Came to the city to spend the weekend with my hubby and found this place by accident. It is a good size restaurant, clean, with a nice ambience, and good service. We ordered a couple rolls and a couple of nigiri and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Here is what we ordered: Sake Toro Nigiri - nice fatty salmon belly, tested really fresh, melted in my mouth easily Tai nigiri: fresh red snapper with a clean taste 49er roll: this roll is different from other roles I have tried. Inside it all vegetables while outside is a nice chunk of salmon with lemon. This was a refreshing roll that I totally enjoyed Dynamite roll: a little spicy with fried shrimp tempura inside this was good, I wasn't a fan of the tuna on top but the rest was good. Overall I would come again to try other things and you should too if you are in the area. read more

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I found myself looking for a restaurant to enjoy for dinner before seeing improv comedy down the street on Sutter. I'm a little picky about sushi, so it's always tricky... But this spot is a gem on Sutter Street in San Francisco. The dining room is small, but suitable. The restaurant does a healthy takeout business as noted by all the bags getting set to go and be carried out. Service is brisk and swift, and the sushi bar is able and attentive. We ordered some nigiri and two rolls. I've never had a spider roll so tender. The softshell crab was cooked to perfection. The fish for nigiri was fresh and soft. No complaints at all. It's not the best I've ever had, but it's not far from it. I would absolutely return anytime to this restaurant. Our food was delivered within minutes of ordering, and we were in and out of the restaurant and maybe a half hour. Almost too fast! If you are in the area in San Francisco, you cannot go wrong if stopping by Sanraku. read more

Sanraku - The whole spread: spider roll, dragon roll, nigiri Spider Roll Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great sushi spot that also has additional dishes like noodle and rice bowls for ppl who don't necessarily only want sushi. Stopped by on a Friday night around 8:30pm and was seated immediately. The fish was really fresh! Can't go wrong on the menu. Service was attentive and quick! read more

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IMHO My cousin made a reservation for 20 people after a Giants game. He loves Sanraku and wanted to share the love. There were two long tables waiting for our large party, who wandered in, in spurts. (Parking can be hard in this part of town.) Almost immediately we were given large glasses of cool water, which my parched body needed desperately after sitting in the warm afternoon sun! Ahhh, so refreshing! My cousin made his recommendations, and I followed his advice! I ordered the "two item combination" of Sesame Chicken and California roll, served with steamed rice and miso soup, $26. My sister ordered the Tonkatsu and Sushi (4 pcs.), also $26. Food was delicious and the service friendly and available! I was also the recipient of a surprise green tea ice cream cup with lit candle for my birthday, and the prerequisite "happy birthday" serenade! Thank you, Sanraku! read more

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By far one of the best sushi restaurants we have been to. Was staying in the city for a conference and decided to stay the weekend and found this gem. Me and my boyfriend ordered a couple of items and enjoyed every single one of them. We were greeted right when we walked in the door. We were seated promptly and was provided with waters right away. They had a good selection on their menu so it definitely wasn't difficult to choose which one we wanted to try. What we ordered: Ask for their hot tea. You won't regret it. Not many place serves hot tea with roasted rice and this place has it and it taste amazing. Sushi & Sashimi Platter- I ordered this item because it had the California Roll which my boyfriend wanted instead of us ordering it separately. The nigiri on this platter was amazing and very fresh. There was no fishy smell or taste to it and it wasn't chewy at all. For $44, this platter was definitely worth it. Teriyaki Chicken with Tempura- Love love the tempura they had. The vegetables were really good. I usually don't like vegetable and shrimp tempura but I enjoyed this one. The teriyaki chicken was quiet delicious as my boyfriend would say. The chicken was cooked well and it was very tasty. Dessert: I submitted a quick review which got me a cute little strawberry mochi for free. We then ordered a panna cotta as an additional dessert. Both desserts was amazing. The panna cotta was very tasty and not overly sweet. I highly recommend the mochi ice cream, it is really good and they have different flavors. We really loved this place. We found another gem in the city that we fell in love with. Honestly everything is 5 star for us. Their customer service was amazing as well. Everyone was very attentive and took care of us while we were there. read more

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Sanraku is everything I want out of a sushi restaurant. Natural light pours through the large windows, making things feel bright & fresh. The hostess is warm and inviting, and the chefs work deftly and with impressive speed. The hamachi jalapeño roll is a work of art to look at and a delight to eat - the yellowtail is tender & mild and is complimented perfectly by the subtle heat from the jalapeño and refreshing cucumber. My experience at Sanraku couldn't have been improved - If I lived in San Francisco, they'd start knowing me by name. read more

Sanraku - Hamachi Jalapeo Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chiriashi. My test of a good Japanese restaurant Inventive Fresh Beautiful Flavorful Complicated and simple. Tiny budding flowers mixed in. Uni in the mix. Relaxing atmosphere No tv!!!! Yay Loved it. I'll be back. read more

Sanraku - Chiriashi Yum - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love love Sanraku for their consistent good quality of food and service. I love that we can get seated easily and they are very understanding with our baby. This is our go to place for date night and family nights. We get their shrimp Tempura, dynamite roll, dragon roll, hamachi jalapeño roll, California roll. Udon is yummy and tea panna cotta is super delicious. Want to try soba next time. read more

Good sushi. I popped in for a quick lunch. My hotel, in Union Square, made it a short walk. The place is tiny; I bet 30-40 people tops. Service was fast, friendly and accurate. I sat at the sushi bar and my two rolls came out quickly. I had the Philly and Dragon Roll. Both were good portions and tasted fresh. Next time I'm in SF's Union Square, I'll be back. read more

Wonderful place in Nob Hill. It is unassuming, but as soon as you walk in, you are warmly greeted. The food is excellent quality, and the service is efficient and friendly. The ambiance was quiet, so it is a good place to go for a quiet meal with a friend, to catch up. We enjoyed the sea bass bento boxes, and the chirashi bowls. Every item was visually appealing and delicious. I especially liked the variety of flavors and textures in the bento trays. They had an extensive sake offering, as well. read more

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2.5 stars. BFF and I met for lunch here as she wanted to try Japanese food in the area. We were the first customers when they opened. She enjoyed her teriyaki salmon with sashimi combo but thought the salmon was a bit over cooked on the grill. I started with a pair of nigiri hamachi. Pricey at $9 and although it hamachi is one of my fav sashimi to order, this one didn't have the taste I like and the rice wasn't seasoned. My shrimp tempura was OK. Most of the veggies on the platter was good but not the fried celery. I've never seen any Japanese restaurant serve celery in this dish. It's as if they ran out of good veggies and threw in the celery to get rid of it. Gender neutral single Bathroom is nice and clean but the toilet handle needed to be held down to flush. Staff with the exception of the young waiter were not particularly friendly. Most staff greet you as you come in and thank you for coming in but not these folks. BFF and I both agreed the food was OK, not the best nor the worse we've tried. They have very large selection of sake listed. I probably won't be back for the food nor lackluster staff, unclear why some of the ratings are so high here. I've seen this place over the years driving by and wanted to try it but not up to par with other Japanese restaurants. They charge a 3% health mandate and on their pad, will have you tip on that mandate and the sales tax on the bill. read more

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Great quality fish with each roll we got. We got the Eskimo, the Dynamite, the Volcano, and a Tuna-Avocado roll. All very delicious. The service was very prompt and efficient, our food coming out fairly quickly but prepared with care. Prices were slightly higher than I'm used to for special rolls but worth it. read more

Came here for dinner and we had a great time. It was a short walk from our hotel at Nob Hill. The place is quaint, and you have the option to sit at the Sushi bar or a table. Since it is a small place, I would recommend this for parties of 2 or 4. If more than that, it can be a bit cramped. The sushi rolls were fresh, and the gyoza was filling. The chicken teriyaki came with a miso soup, so it was a perfect pair.. read more

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I came here for dinner on a Wednesday and it was a pretty good experience. The food was delicious and the service was courteous. Their seafood was fresh and their katsu was the best out of everything we ordered. It's a small hole in the wall type restaurant but definitely worth checking out. read more

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Still small but still our favorite Japanese restaurant in downtown SF area. We stopped by for lunch on a Sunday and had their Chirashi and Poke Donburi - both were excellent! Service was good as usual! No excessive socialization, just plain old good service. read more

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Another delicious lunch at Sanraku - and I think the bento lunch is a bargain for what you get. Delicious! read more

Sanraku - Bento with sesame chicken, California roll and tofu - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We stopped in San Francisco for a night after a long trip up the coast. I was in the mood for Japanese. The concierge recommended Sanraku. It wasn't a far walk from the hotel and it was the best around in her opinion. The service was great and we got a table! It was clean and looked like your typical sushi restaurant. It had the sushi counter on one side with a bar and a few tables. On the other side, was the main dining area. We ordered spicy tuna and shared a chicken teriyaki dish. It was a large portion! The man next to me ordered what looked like the largest vegetable tempura. What an order! The concierge was correct -- the food was great and came out relatively quickly. Thank you! read more

Sanraku - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I don't live too far from here so I always wanted to try it out as it always looks busy! Went on a friday evening around 7pm- was seated swiftly by a very attentive staff, the lady looking after our table was so pleasant and friendly, going above and beyond to make sure we had a great meal. We got the sushi tasting, gyoza (recommended by the server- good choice!) edamame, Dynamite roll, 49ers roll and hamachi jalapeno roll. (we were hungryyyyy) All so beautifully presented when the rolls arrived, nice clean cuts in the rolls and laid out neatly. Loved the 49ers rolls- all of the rolls really were great, good fresh flavours in the fish and the sushi sampler was perfect also to get a taste of the chefs specials for that day- all appeasing to the eyes and the stomach. We were so full after this but the server tempted us with the free mochi dessert they offer if you scan the code on the table! Truly a great meal made better with our attentive server checking in throughout the meal making sure all was okay- you could tell they wanted everyone to have a good experience and we did! Will be back again to satisfy my next sushi craving. read more

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Clean and friendly restaurant not far from our hotel on Bush St. The server was quick to answer my questions and make suggestions. I had the udon Tempura with shrimp and the bowl of noodles was generous but not overwhelming. I really liked the tea they brought us to start. My husband had the sesame chicken and California roll and said both were tasty. read more

We stopped in for a roll each at this intimate & cozy sushi spot. Service was super friendly. And I love that their veggie tempura is not completely deep fried. It's just the veggies on top of the roll. Was pleasantly surprised. Will definitely be back! read more

Sanraku - Vegetable Tempura Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ordered take out from here. In Feb 2025, if you order $65 via Uber Eats, they offer free California roll (you gotta select the plus button next to the offer to get it). Now, uber eats does have order batching, which is more efficient for deliveries and can cause your delivery to take ~10-20min longer (in my instance). As this was sushi (not hot) and I planned ahead, I did not mind this at all. I love love love the Hokkaido Chirashi Gozen. It's a bento where the big box has a mix of uni, scallop, salmon, ikura (salmon roe) and 1 sweet shrimp over a bed of rice. And the other boxes have some lovely simmered veggies and fried veggies, and the tomago (Japanese dashi egg omelette cake) The chirashi is my mom's favorite. The nigiri and sushi combo was quite nice. Note the include wasabi in their nigiri pieces (quite common practice, but an unhappy surprise for my 6yr old). The mixed tempura appetizer had a nice variety and good taste (I refreshed it a bit in my toaster oven). Overall, great experience and my go to Japanese spot in the city!! read more

Delicious and super fresh! We loved everything we got... gyoza, tempura, dynamite roll, Hamachi carpaccio, Hamachi, Kinmedai and Unagi Nigiri, miso soup and Edamame. All exceptional. Excellent customer service as well. It's cute, clean and our new favorite. read more

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This might be my first sushi review. But it's certainly not my first time eating sushi. I mean you honestly didn't think that did you? Finding the best sushi in SF is a task I am not up for. Strictly financially speaking. One day I'd like to buy a house, so eating too much sushi in SF is quite contradictory to this goal. I could liquidate all of my stocks to afford a couple sushi meals but unfortunately sushi doesn't pay dividends. Regardless of how good it is. I digress. This was very good sushi. No lies. The tempura was legitimately fried with good variety. Exactly how you would think. Sesame chicken was very good. It wouldn't be the best fried chicken dish you ever have but still really good. California roll and rainbow roll quite aesthetically pleasing (though this isn't that important to me). Those rolls were as good as could be. But I don't want to distract from this sexy salmon nigiri. You don't eat this stuff. You just put it in your mouth and absorb it. It's quite the experience. That was unreal. The spider roll was just okay. I was surprised. All in all, for sushi this was as good as I've had almost. Hard to imagine there are many places better than this in SF. If you go just make sure to tap into your savings account and ask for an advance on your next paycheck. (4.4 Stars) read more

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Good place for sushi in the city. The portions are decent and the prices feel fair for the quality. Staff were polite and attentive.

This place is FIRE! This place was on a list of places to try near Club Wyndham Canterbury which is about 100-200ft away. I'm so glad we did! It's next door to a pub, in a small, quaint spot. The staff was very friendly and eager to help. We ordered Miso Soup, Chicken Teriyaki, and Tonkatsu. Everything was delicious but the clear winner of the meal was the Tonkatsu. Everyone in my family thought that it was chicken breast because it was juicy and perfectly breaded. Well, come to find out it's pork loin cutlets. The katsu sauce isn't the best that I've ever had but you really don't need any. PARKING: It looked like there was some street parking, not much. We were on foot so I'm not super positive. This place is a must try if you're in the area! read more

I really wanted to like this place, since it was a staple of mine back in the day. However, that's where reality meets nostalgia. Not only is the place old and run down, it's also stuffy and has some of the most pretentious staff. Especially the older heavyset Chinese waitress with the short black hair working Monday night. Not only is she curt and rude when you try asking her for help, but she clearly shows favoritism to specific customers. This can either come in the form of a 15% discount for locals, or free dessert. If you don't fit her criteria, then unfortunately you're out of luck. And if you try asking her about it, she'll make up some lame excuse to justify their behavior. Just shameful. I used to be a big fan of this local area chain, but no longer. It also doesn't seem to be Japanese owed- all I heard was Chinese being spoken, although there is ethnic variety in staffing. The only kind people in this place are the sushi chefs. They are experts at their craft, and surely put a smile on your face. read more

Sanraku - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had an early reservation for 7:15 pm and got there right on time and were seated immediately. The place was very clean and quiet. The main chef was an Asian man who was quietly overseeing two Hispanic younger Su chefs, who were really fast in making the sashimi salad and Sushi platter and Chef's Omakase plate. The quality of the seafood was really good. The Unni was small but tasted great. The salad was plentiful with sashimi. They absolutely had the best tasting Miso soup made with excellent seaweed and smooth tasting miso soup that was not salty. This indicates that the miso soup was made fresh and didn't have any time to evaporate the water. The price was medium for the quality. I liked the house sake that was only $10 for the large 350 ml. The sake was smooth and not too perfumy. I recommend this establishment for good value for your money. read more

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INCREDIBLY FRESH fish and such a BLISSFUL ambience!! We came here after Yoki sushi was closed early for the day and were so pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with such friendly and quick service, even on a Saturday night. The hamachi carpaccio was just perfection and (not pictured the daily special) hotate roll was just divine. Idk if we were just so hungry but everything was delicious right down to the wakame salad and edamame. Will definitely be back soon!! read more

Sanraku - (from back to front) Spider Roll, 704 Roll, 49ers Roll, Volcano Roll - Japanese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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