There will be plenty of smiles and toasts of sake in small upraised cups at the Fujiya restaurant in Napa this May as the little eatery celebrates its 20th year in business, a record as the longest-lasting Japanese establishment in the county.

When most ethnic restaurants come and go like bubbles in dishwater, the little Fujiya (the name means “Mount Fuji Inn”) has been diligently serving traditional Japanese dishes overseen by its petite owner, Eiko Nakamura, at the same location at what is now the Napa Premium Outlets. 

“When we began, sukiyaki was then all the rage,” Nakamura said, “but today sushi is our No. 1 seller, and we have two specially trained sushi chefs to keep up with the demand.” That is, alongside her other featured favorites, tempura and chicken teriyaki.

Nakamura came to the U.S. in 1967, bringing some family recipes with her from her native Japan (her father was the cook in the home), and then working at the Fairmont Hotel and in Japantown in San Francisco. “I love to cook,” she said. She still makes all of her own sauces and fresh gyoza, the traditional Japanese pot stickers.

But it was not always smiles and success. “When I bought the business, this area was very desolate, very run down,” she recalled. Napa 20 years ago looked very different than it does today. The old clock tower was still downtown, Trancas was mostly fields and orchards, and what has since become the Napa Premium Outlets was then full of abandoned cars and debris. “Yet people found us here,” Nakamura said, “and 20 years later we still have many of our original customers who now bring their children and grandchildren.” 

And there have been other changes as well: “Our original Japanese chefs did not like taking orders from a woman, which was a traditional attitude for them. So I washed dishes for the first couple of months while secretly observing them. Then I let them go and hired my own mostly Latino chefs, who I trained. Our chefs are now very hard working, and many of them along with our wait staff have been with me for nearly 14 years.”

What is the secret of her success?  “Well, I am committed to really fresh food and good service, and I’m fussy about cleanliness,” she said laughing.  Japanese food is also healthy. “It is not as sauce-rich as French food, nor as heavy as Italian pastas. I think that is why we have so many repeating customers, some coming every week.”

Nakamura travels to Japan at least every two years and brings back recent food trends. “We have added Chicken Karaage to our menu, which is chicken marinated in a special soy sauce, and has become very popular.”

But surely it is Nakamura’s paintings that hang prominently on the restaurant walls that have made her establishment memorable as well. “I became interested in art about four years ago. An art teacher saw a drawing I had made, and she invited me to her classes at Napa Valley College. We did pastels on location, and that really excited me.”

Nakamura then progressed to oils, showing a special talent for an impressionist style with seasonal colors.

But she soon ran out of space to hang her ever-increasing works, so she decided to place some about her restaurant. The results have been phenomenal, her Napa Valley landscapes have been purchased by collectors. “Now I paint as often as I cook,” she said with a chuckle.

When does she have time to be so productive? “Well, mostly at night. It is very meditative for me, and I often think how fortunate I am to be here, to be in this beautiful valley with so many wonderful friends and customers.”

To celebrate its 20 years of success in Napa, the Fujiya will offer complimentary sake at lunch and dinner throughout the month of May.  The restaurant is at 921 Factory Stores Drive in west Napa.

The Register welcomes comments from readers about good local dining experiences. Send them to Food Page editor Sasha Paulsen, spaulsen@napanews.com