Fuji Ya, 1st Japanese restaurant to open in Minnesota, closes its doors after over 60 years

On its website, Japanese restaurant Fuji Ya announced it is closing its doors permanently.

The Japanese restaurant was the first in Minnesota, and brought customers back for over 60 years.

"Thank you for your support! Unfortunately we are closing our doors," the website states on its main page.

According to its website, Reiko Weston was the original founder who started Fuji Ya from a two-car garage building back in 1959. As the business grew over time, in 1968, Reiko acquired and turned an old flour mill in downtown Minneapolis by the riverfront into a traditional Japanese restaurant.

In 1990, the city bought out the historic restaurant building to make room for a parkway, and Fuji Ya disappeared for almost 10 years. Then, the opening of Fuji Ya at the Uptown location on Lyn-Lake was an instant hit, according to its website.

"The restaurant achieved multiple awards for its long standing success in the community. In 2002, City Pages Magazine voted Fuji Ya, “BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT”; 2010, Vitamin magazine voted “BEST SUSHI”; 2014, Mpls/St. Paul Magazine voted Fuji Ya, “BEST JAPANESE”, along with many more awards throughout the years," the website states.

Fuji Ya was best known for its fresh quality fish and the many specialty rolls they offered.