Hungry Hearts Restaurant

On a tiny side street in a nameless little neighborhood of not quite modern Tokyo sits a small, unremarkable Japanese eatery. Above its weather-beaten door an old, faded sign reads: Restaurant Sakura Though long since out of vogue, here in Japan a "restaurant" is an eatery specializing in Western-style fusion food. Back before the era of flashy chain restaurants and snazzy bistros, the humble restaurant had its heyday. Now, well, Restaurant Sakura has seen better days. The taciturn old chef who ran this local fixture passed away the year before last. His kindly wife was about to close up shop for good when the couple's bright-eyed granddaughter stepped forward. With a heart full of…