Blue Jays star Kazuma Okamoto makes surprise visit to Toronto Japanese restaurant
Every Big Oak needs to be watered, and Toronto's own — Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto — seemingly chooses this local Japanese restaurant to fuel up.
Aside from being a standout player on the otherwise somewhat lacklustre 2026 Toronto Blue Jays, Okamoto has endeared himself to fans by being quite the foodie, leading the charge to have quesadillas added to the Blue Jays clubhouse and stadium menus and sampling plenty of local restaurants during his time off.
Following the team's 3-o loss to the White Sox on Sunday, July 19, Okamoto decided to brush off the loss in the same way I, personally, deal with any and all of life's disappointments: by drowning his sorrows in a great meal.
This time around, he opted for the cuisine of his native Japan, visiting Cabbagetown yakitori spot Zakkushi for some late-night izakaya bites.
He didn't come alone, either. The Jays player was accompanied by Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and Nippon TV announcer Ren Umezawa for the meal. Glad to know that, even after the Jays' tough series with the White Sox, there's nothing some great karaage and a bit of sake can't patch up.
In an Instagram post about the visit, the restaurant says that the crew all graciously posed for photos with staff, and Okamoto even signed the jersey that Zakkushi has been hanging in its window ever since the player joined the MLB.
"Thank you so much to Okamoto-san, Murakami-san, Umezawa-san, and their team for making our day. We are sending you endless support all the way from Zakkushi on Carlton," the restaurant writes.
As fate would have it, it's also Kazuma Okamoto T-Shirt Giveaway Night at the Rogers Centre as the Jays take on the Tampa Bay Rays tonight, July 20, so why not, in Okamoto fashion, grab a bite at Zakkushi afterward? Who knows? You may even run into him there.
Zakkushi is located at 193 Carlton St.
