What’s the future of Fresno’s Tokyo Garden? Here’s what we know about the downtown bar
Tokyo Garden has been closed during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it’s for sale.
What does all this mean for the future of the downtown bar and Japanese restaurant?
The business has been around for at least 65 years at Fulton and San Joaquin streets, its giant neon sign something of an icon downtown. So many Fresnans seem to have a story about visiting the place, often involving the Singapore sling cocktails it’s known for.
Now the building and the business – owned by the same family – are for sale.
The owners did not return repeated messages seeking comment, but real estate agent Mike Briggs, who is selling the property, shared with The Bee what he knows.
Tokyo Garden is ready to be sold, with an active liquor license and everything else inside just waiting to reopen, he said.
The family was ready to reopen the business, but the coronavirus pandemic kept changing their plans, he said.
Tokyo Garden is owned by Toshiro “Toshi” Yoshioka and his wife Esko, and Toshi’s brother Hisao “Tommy” Yoshioka.
“They’re still considering reopening if nobody is interested or wanting to (buy it),” Briggs said.
Back in 2017, The Bee reported on Tokyo Gardens after it closed for a week and the owner said it was for sale. It prompted an outpouring of support from the community.
The closure was for a trip, but Tommy Yoshioka had been in a car accident. Without him, his brother and sister-in-law were running the bar and restaurant on their own, spending all their days working at the restaurant.
They didn’t end up selling then, but now the property has been listed for $1.9 million.
What’s for sale?
The property includes three parcels – the building and two empty lots.
The 11,250-square-foot building includes the 3,500-square-foot Tokyo Garden.
The rest of the building is fully leased, with Next Level Barber Studio next door, Hold Fast Baptist Church and a medical records storage business in back.
Tokyo Garden opened in 1956, and some of the decor is original, Briggs said. Yoshioka bought it in 1980.
“Everything is intact, the dishes, the silverware, the beautiful decor, the historic decor,” Briggs said.
The business includes the bar and stage for live music and private rooms in back with rice paper walls. A giant mural is painted on the wall behind the bar.
“A lot of the stuff in there is from Japan,” Briggs said. “He’d love to see someone preserve it.”
The property is getting plenty of interest from potential buyers, he said.
The empty lots could be used to build condos or other living spaces, he noted.
And it’s in a neighborhood that’s seen new development lately.
Right next door to Tokyo Garden are the colorful lofts, Fulton Village. The Peerless Building is a block away at Broadway and Amador streets, and is home to newly opened Saint Joaquin natural wine bar, with South of Shaw Beer Co. getting close to opening its brewery next door.
“That’s such a cool area,” Briggs said. “I think it’s going to be a hot little block.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 9:48 AM.
