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Maria and Ricardo Hernandez moved to Gilroy from Cupertino, a town with noodle houses aplenty. Luckily for them and other lovers of ramen, they have a new place with authentic Japanese fare that satisfies their cravings.“It’s hard to find a good ramen place and this place is one of the best,” says Maria, 36.That place is Ten Japan in Hecker Pass Plaza at 1340 First Street, Suite C, in Gilroy.Ten Japan, open four years now, shut its doors to renovate this past spring. Owners Jo and Akiko Shiihara wanted to create a new feel to their restaurant and decided to install a sushi bar.Bamboo at the entry sets the tone for the restaurant and the walls, now painted sleek black, are adorned with colorful abstract metal art that make the room pop. Finally, pendant lights hanging over the sushi bar and each table for two make for a relaxed ambiance.Now diners can enjoy their sushi and ramen while groovin’ to techno house beats or feelin’ irie with some reggae rhythms for the lunch crowd.Jo Shiihara, 44, noticed that many Japanese restaurants in the area didn’t have traditionally trained chefs making authentic Japanese cuisine. He said he felt compelled to show Gilroy what good Japanese food should taste like.Jo is a classically trained French chef who worked in Tokyo’s famous Figaro Restaurant for 11 years.He and Akiko moved from Santa Barbara, where Jo worked as a chef at Arigato Sushi.Jo says that a unique aspect of his food is great sauces, which he attributes to his training in French cuisine.Kayla Fernandez, 20, is one of the servers at the restaurant and says that among the most popular items on the menu are the garlic edamame ($5.50) and the miso ramen ($9.75) with thick wavy noodles in a miso soup that begins with a pork bone broth base.The result is a creamy dish that is savory, but not overly salty. It’s prepared with sliced chashu, cabbage, bamboo shoots and topped with scallions, chopped spinach and sweet corn.In addition to nigiri and sashimi, Kayla says other big sellers include Ten Japan’s butterfly roll ($9.50) and two speciality rolls: the 49er ($13.50) and the Lethal Weapon ($13.50).Even if you’re not a Niners fan, the 49er roll is a palate pleaser with shrimp tempura, avocado, mango, salmon and tuna. It’s topped with crunchy tempura flakes and the sweet and cool flavors of the mango and avocado are balanced by a spicy aioli sauce.Our party accepted most of Kayla’s suggestions and next on our list to try was the Lethal Weapon. Not surprisingly, this specialty roll packed some heat—made with spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail, fresh cucumber and jalapeño pepper. The Lethal Weapon was topped with tempura flakes and plated with habanero sauce alongside the chef’s spicy aioli.Customer Chris Pacheco, 31, of Gilroy says “the sushi is better than anywhere else and the service is great.”Ten Japan is a quaint but swanky little place. The staff is relatively small and the restaurant fills up quickly. Jo Shiihara is proud to bring these flavors to Gilroy. “I love to hear the customers are impressed and say thank you to the chefs,” he says.

Beware! There are mountaineers out there, and they are all around you. They are hard to spot, because they look just like you and me. Cleverly disguised as teachers, accountants, students and such, they are hidden from view. You may not recognize them, but believe me, they are out there.On a recent Saturday morning in mid-July, 68 of your friends and neighbors stood at the foot of 10,381-foot Round Top Mountain in the Sierra, and set out on a mountaineering challenge they had prepared for over the past seven months. It began with a four-mile loop at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve on New Year's morning. Throughout the winter and spring, we tromped five more trails, some as close as Henry Coe State Park; others farther afield like Mount Diablo State Park. At each stop, we strengthened legs, lungs, and group esprit for the summer's coming challenge. Round Top was the fourth summer challenge. Five years ago, I wrote a November column inviting readers to make a bold commitment; something exciting and a bit scary. ‘Come with me to the top of Clouds Rest in Yosemite next July; a thirteen mile round trip walk to a 9,926-foot peak that looks 1,100 feet down on Half Dome.’ The first of six "prep" hikes would be New Year's morning, an annual tradition I had invited readers to for several years. With the challenge as an incentive, the 20 or so that had come in years past exploded to well over 100. Nearly 70 people came to Clouds Rest and similar numbers have come in subsequent years as we have tackled Mt. Tallac (9,738') and Mount Hoffman (10,856'). It would be easy to dismiss these people as lycra-clad fitness fanatics. It just isn't so. Round Top challengers ranged from age eight to 76, and they came in every size and shape. The day before the challenge, we gather for a short hike to stretch our legs and acclimate to the altitude. Round Top is near Carson Pass (8,652 feet) where Highway 88 crosses the Sierra crest not too far south of Lake Tahoe. We set out from the trailhead at the very top of the pass where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road. After a short walk through a forest of lodgepole and western white pines, we emerged into a beautiful landscape characteristic of the high altitude terrain we would travel throughout our wanderings. Timberline at Carson Pass is much lower than it is farther south in the Sierra. At a relatively modest elevation, we had popped into wide open alpine country. In between sporadic wind-sculpted whitebark pines—the only conifers still hanging on—nothing grew above thigh high. The view was limitless in every direction, but the wide open landscape played second fiddle to the wildflower display. Lupine, several penstemon, iris, spreading phlox, mule's ears, several paintbrushes, wallflowers, delphiniums, and on and on. It was all too gaudy to be God's refined tastes—I suspect that Disney had a hand in it. We lunched beside Winnemucca Lake nestled beneath Round Top. Every inch of terrain was laid bare between the toes of our boots and the summit looming impressively overhead. Many sat quietly, just looking up. The Woods Lake trailhead was humming with greetings and lively chatter by 8:30 Saturday morning. Prior challenges had been out-and-back hikes, but our route this year would be a loop. When I did a reconnaissance of the route several weeks earlier, the first leg to Round Top Lake was covered with snow. While I never lost my way, I did lose the trail several times. I cautioned people that if the trail was hidden, follow the creek, which would lead you to Round Top Lake. Just below Round Top Lake, we popped above the trees and back into the open terrain we enjoyed yesterday. Here, we left the gently graded trail and turned up, steeply up. No more trees, but surprisingly colorful ground hugging alpine plants matted the inhospitable rocky slope. Rather than hiking, we were now trudging, each step a triumph of will. I tell people that half way up these climbs, they will want to grab a rope, organize a posse and give me some old west justice. But when they get to the top, all will be forgiven. Dead tired, chest pounding, every step up a seemingly endless mountain slope like Round Top is a test of will. But when the "up" vanishes and all the world is beneath your feet, it is hard to describe the feeling and for many—the transformation—that comes over you. The wind was brisk and the view was infinite at the top. Round Top Lake and Winnemucca Lake just below appeared as if through an airplane window. To the north, Lake Tahoe and Desolation Wilderness. To the south, the restless Sierra grew higher and higher down toward Yosemite and beyond. In better visibility, we would have seen Mount Diablo out west. The weather, the country, the flowers and the views teamed up to give us a memorable day. As ever, I thank all of you who come, but more than that, I tip my cap to you. For many of you, it is just a hard day on the trail, but for others, I know Round Top tested your limits. Yet, you took the challenge. 

More than three years after the arrest of Nicolas Lhermine—the former YMCA employee who was convicted of sexually molesting four young girls under his care—the civil trial initiated by his victims’ families is scheduled to begin this month.

Listed below are some of the incidents Morgan Hill police responded to in recent weeks. FireWood chips in the median of Cochrane Road at Sutter Boulevard caught on fire about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 3. No major damage was reported.Animal controlSix chickens were loose in the creek on Preservation Way about 10:50 a.m. Aug. 2. The caller complained the poultry were eating the landscaping in her yard.Illegal RV parkingA large RV was parked on the 300 block of Noble Court for at least two days, and the caller worried that the occupants intended to stay there long-term. The municipal code violation was reported 5:40 p.m. Aug. 1.Vehicle vs. bicyclistA Honda Fit and a bicyclist collided in a traffic accident near the intersection of Llagas Road and Del Monte Avenue July 25. The bicyclist was transported to hospital with pain to his ribs and an abrasion to his right elbow. He was not wearing a helmet. Responding authorities also determined the bicyclist had a $3,000 warrant for his arrest out of Morgan Hill. The accident was reported 3:16 p.m.Auto burglaryA thief or thieves broke into a black Ford Flex in front of Starbucks, 17015 Walnut Grove Drive. A window was smashed and stolen was a backpack that contained a laptop computer. The crime was reported 3:55 p.m. July 27.Petty theftSomeone stole a Vitamix blender, worth about $520, from Target, 1061 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 8:36 p.m. July 24.A thief or thieves stole the rear license plate from a GMC that was parked on La Sierra Court. The crime was reported 12:37 p.m. July 25.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

Our South County marketplace can be a daunting one for first time buyers, or for anyone who may not have 20 percent to put down on a home. There are many options to help you without the limiting factor of 20 percent down. Lenders have a variety of products that can help anyone who doesn't quite have that much saved for the down payment.

Running around doing errands or shopping, it’s no surprise that we tend to concentrate on our own agenda. We might be making mental notes: “Okay, I need to buy a wine red dress for the party.I need to get these black heels for the dance.” And while this focus is good, it’s easy to undervalue the retail workers who help us out with everything from the red dress to the black heels.Walking around the outlets this week, I tried to give these employees a little more attention and praise.After browsing around one store, I went to the counter and was greeted by Kimberly Bernardo. Bernardo, 17, is a high school senior who works at De Colores, an all girls’ clothing store.She laughed when I asked her how much she spends on clothes. “I narrowed it down because I usually would go out of control with my shopping sprees, so now I spend about $100 per month,” she says. Her fashion inspiration is Vanessa Hudgens, who is known for getting a lot of her clothing from Urban Outfitters. Urban Outfitters happens to be Bernardo’s favorite store, and not just because of Vanessa Hudgens. Bernardo likes the store’s good clothing materials and hip fashion selection.Forever 21, is trendy fashion hub for young women. Refolding a mountain of T-shirts, I saw fashionably dressed employee, Karly Heredia, at Forever 21.Heredia, 22, must be in the right place, because she gets to work at her favorite store. She spends about $300 a month on clothes, and especially likes thrift shopping for anything that’s different. Like Bernardo, her fashion inspiration is the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens.

Be sure to catch some great rock, blues and country tunes at The Mike Osborn Band’s District Theater performance on Friday, Aug. 12.

Police arrested four young men on a variety of charges after one of them fired a gun in the process of attempting to steal marijuana plants from a residence in southwest Morgan Hill Aug. 5, authorities said.Morgan Hill Police officers responded to the residence on Manor Court about 6:15 p.m., where someone called to report a disturbance, according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling.“When we got there, we saw four people fighting with two others,” Hoefling said. Police later determined the two who were outnumbered were residents of the home on Manor Court.When the four aggressors—two juveniles and two adults—saw the officers, they “took off running,” Hoefling said. Officers set up a perimeter around the neighborhood with the help of deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and pursued the four males, Hoefling said. Officers caught up with all four suspects, and found a loaded firearm on one of the young men.The two victims identified all four suspects, police said.Police determined the four suspects had jumped over a fence into the backyard of the Manor Court residence and tried to steal a number of marijuana plants that were growing on the property, Hoefling said.During the altercation that followed when the residents saw the robbery in progress, one of the suspects hit a victim with a belt buckle, police said. The victim reported redness and swelling, but no other significant injuries occurred during the incident.Hoefling added a shot was fired during the fight, but officers could not determine in which direction or where the bullet landed.Arrested were Andrae Martinez, 21 of Morgan Hill, on suspicion of carrying a loaded firearm, brandishing, terrorist threats, resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon; Alejandro Gutierrez, 18 of Gilroy, on suspicion of resisting arrest; a 17-year-old juvenile on suspicion of resisting arrest; and a 16-year-old on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon (belt buckle), criminal threats, resisting arrest and a probation violation.Anyone with information about this incident can contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101.

Thirteen San Martin residents—including six children—are looking for a place to live after a fire ravaged several mobile homes, vehicles and greenhouses Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested an East Palo Alto woman who is accused in a string of Bay Area bank robberies, including one in Morgan Hill, according to authorities.