Kara-age is the king of fried food
Kara-age is for the most part Japanese fried chicken, or perhaps Japanese chicken nuggets. Kara-age however in Japanese peoples' minds is separate from "fried chicken". Fried chicken in Japan always has the bone in, whereas kara-age is cut chunks of chicken thigh, seasoned in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, and fried in a tasty batter. With a dash of lemon, kara-age is the king of appetizers at any dining bar or restaurant.
Kara-age is very commonplace, and as such each bar or restaurant has their own twist they usually add to the mix. Texture is also important, with some types of kara-age focusing on a juicy texture, whereas others will be very crispy and crunchy.
Kara-age is also commonly sold on a stick at convenience stores, but the convenience store kara-age is usually just re-heated from frozen packs.
A good place to get some standard kara-age would be any family restaurant like Denny's, Jonathan's, or Gusto.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/cultural/feeljapanesque/family_restaurants.html
KurtisW
United States