ORLANDO, FL. Inspectors visiting Nichiwa Japanese Kitchen on East Colonial Drive on September 2, 2026, found food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, no written employee health policy, and improper sewage disposal, among six total high-severity violations. The restaurant was not closed.
That finding, six high-severity citations in a single visit, placed September 2 among the worst inspection days in the facility's documented history. State records show inspectors also cited three intermediate violations during the same visit, including improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and single-use items being reused.
What Inspectors Found
The contaminated food citation is among the most serious a Florida inspector can issue. It means food in the facility was found to have been compromised by a chemical, physical, or biological agent, any of which can cause acute illness or injury in a customer who consumes it.
The shell stock citation raises a separate traceability concern. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, which means they carry elevated pathogen risk. Without proper identification records tied to each batch, there is no way to trace a shellfish-linked illness back to its source if a customer gets sick.
No person in charge was present or performing duties at the time of the inspection. CDC data cited in state inspection records indicates that facilities without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. The remaining conditions documented on September 2 are consistent with that pattern.
What These Violations Mean
The contaminated food and adulterated food citations together describe a kitchen where the basic integrity of the food supply could not be verified. Contamination by chemical agents, such as sanitizers or cleaning products, or by physical hazards like glass or metal fragments, is not a slow-build risk. It can injure a customer in a single meal.
The absence of an employee health policy means the restaurant had no written system to keep sick workers out of food preparation. Norovirus, one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the United States, spreads through exactly this gap: an infected employee with no policy requiring them to report symptoms or stay home. An estimated 20 million Americans contract Norovirus annually, and food service workers are a primary transmission route.
Improper handwashing technique compounds that risk. Even when an employee makes an attempt to wash their hands, incorrect technique, insufficient duration, or skipping steps leaves pathogens on skin that then transfer to food, surfaces, and utensils. Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils extend the chain further, since bacterial biofilms can form on inadequately sanitized equipment within 24 hours and resist standard cleaning attempts.
The sewage disposal citation introduces a separate category of hazard entirely. Improper disposal of wastewater creates the potential for fecal contamination throughout a facility. Raw sewage carries pathogens including E. coli, Salmonella, and Hepatitis A.
The Longer Record
September 2 was not an outlier for Nichiwa Japanese Kitchen. It was the fourth time in roughly two years that inspectors documented five or more high-severity violations in a single visit.
State records show 21 inspections on file for the facility, with 195 total violations across that history. The February 2026 inspection logged 10 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. September 2025 produced 8 high-severity and 3 intermediate. August 2024 generated 9 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations, a visit that ended with an emergency closure order tied to rodent activity. The facility reopened the following day after meeting state standards.
Nichiwa Japanese Kitchen: Recent Inspection Pattern
The May 2026 inspection produced zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations, a clean pass that stands in sharp contrast to every other recent visit. Three months later, the facility was back to six high-severity citations.
That oscillating pattern, clean inspections followed by severe ones, is present across the full record. The two inspections in August 2024 tell the story plainly: on August 7, inspectors found rodent activity and nine high-severity violations, forcing a closure. On August 8, the restaurant passed and reopened. By October of that same year, it had accumulated five more high-severity violations.
On September 2, 2026, inspectors documented contaminated food, no health policy, improper sewage disposal, and six high-severity violations total. Nichiwa Japanese Kitchen on East Colonial Drive remained open for business.
