Tokoro opened early in 2003 and has been a favorite of ours ever since.  It is a fairly small Japanese restaurant nestled close to a Papa John's Pizza takeout on Fair Oaks in small town South Pasadena.  There is another Japanese restaurant in South Pas which has been there for 20 years and which is very popular with the locals.  They like it because they have great beer on tap and anyway, it was the only Sushi place around.  The only problem was the food was really mediocre, sort of 80's style teriaki chicken, and boring California rolls.  So when Tokoro appeared we were pretty stoked.  During their first year they have gone through some growing pains but they have been preparing extremely high quality food from the beginning.  They specialize in Sushi Rolls and something called Katsu, which is various meats broiled on a skewer.  It is the spectacular rolls which we keep returning for.  My favorite is the Spider Roll.  Doesn't sound good but boy does it taste fine!  The Spider roll is made up of soft shell crabs which are fried to a crisp in tempura batter.  Some of the crab lies within the rice with cucumbers and possibly avocado and a large piece is left on top of each section.  The blend of textures and tastes is truly divine.  Another wonderful treat is the Dragon Roll.  If you like fresh water eel as they serve it at sushi bars, you will love this roll.  Each roll has several layers of yummy ingredients.  The Dragon has avocado and crab inside, with broiled eel on the outside.  It is a taste treat.  Another roll which contains eel is the Catapillar Roll.  This one has the avocado on the outside so that when it arrives, it is all bright green on the surface and looks a lot like a real catapillar.  It doesn't taste like one (I've never actuallhy had the pleasure of eating a real catapillar), but if they taste anything like this gem, I may start eating them.  The Dynamite Roll is a hot roll with scallops and crab meat.  It tasted a lot like the Coquille St. Jacques that you get in French restaurants.  Very rich and creamy.  Another favorite of ours (non roll) is the Spicy Tuna or Salmon salad.  This is a huge salad made up of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, slivered carrots, onions, sprouts and many little squares of tuna or salmon sashimi all tossed with a superb spicy dressing.  This could be a light lunch in itself and it comes with the ridiculously low price tag of $3.95.  A steal!  Indeed, the prices here are so reasonable that we have become regulars, dropping in at least once a week.  The restaurant itself is very pleasantly decorated, with booths and tables and the ubiquitous Sushi bar.  There is a TV located above your head with no sound on, usually turned to a sports event.  At the same time they have some music going, which tends to be a bit surrealistic but fun.  We havn't sat at the bar yet, but the sushi chefs are always very friendly, so it might be fun next time.  All of the staff is extremely polite and friendly.  The prices are great here.  They have very reasonable lunch specials and you can get away with dinner for two including a large bottle of Kirin for under $40 easily.  Last but not least, the have a frequent diners card on which they note how much you spent.  After ten meals they give you a gift certificate for 10% of the total.  When I got taken there on Mothers Day, my daughter-in-law had a coupon for $30 based on her discount card.  You simply can't beat that kind of value nowadays.  It is worth the drive from anywhere in the Northeast area to visit Tokoro.  Be sure to be hungry, because this is a truly fine food bargain!