The fragrant smell of grilled eel wafts through the air at ‘Unagi Fukano’ in Ashikaga City.
On the 24th, “Doyo no Ushi no Hi” (the Day of the Ox during the Doyo period), the number of eel restaurants was at its highest in Tochigi Prefecture, and throughout Ashikaga City, a prominent area for eel cuisine in northern Kanto, the delightful aroma of kabayaki (grilled eel) filled the air.
Near the city hall, ‘Unagi Fukano’ (Yanagihara-cho), which has been in business for a quarter of a century. In the extreme heat outside the shop, Fumiaki Fukano, the 46-year-old second generation owner, expertly grills the eel while fanning with a uchiwa. The sizzle of cooking and the delicious aroma spread around the store, drawing in passersby through the noren (curtain).
The restaurant focuses on domestic eel, mainly sourced from Kyushu, using locally produced Koshihikari rice and white charcoal for grilling. The price for unaju (eel served over rice) ranges from 2300 to 3400 yen. Due to rising procurement costs, they recently revised their prices in April after keeping them unchanged for three years, but the prices continue to rise due to poor catches of juvenile eels.
Fumio Fukano, the 76-year-old owner and Fumiaki’s father, smiled as he said, “We’re doing our best to maintain prices. We hope eel will give everyone the energy to overcome the heat.”
The reason there are many eel restaurants in Ashikaga City is that during its prosperous days as a “city of textiles,” eel was highly valued to entertain clients who came from Tokyo and elsewhere to make purchases. (Takefumi Umemura)