Japanese Food Tips

One day in July is called “doyo no ushi-no-h” in Japan. From the Edo era there has been the custom of eating eel on this day at the height of summer. Eel restaurants are very crowded and eel shops sell a lot of eel dishes on this day every year. Unadon (rice and eel bowl) and unajyu (rice and eel box) are popular in eel restaurants. Unajyu is served in a jyubako (a rectangular lacquer wooden container). The way of cooking eel is different in the Kanto and Kansai areas. In Kanto, the eel is opened from the back, then steamed and finally grilled and dipped into a sweetened soy sauce. The flavor is soft. In Kansai, the eel is opened from the belly, not steamed, and then grilled and dipped into a sweetened soy sauce. The flavor is crispy. Both style dishes look the same and smell appetizing. The Kanto region includes Tokyo and Yokohama. The Kansai region includes Osaka and Kyoto. Try to eat unajyu or unadon if there is an opportunity to come to Japan.