Urawa Unagi (Freshwater Eel)

Unagi, a kind of Japanese freshwater eel, has always been a cut above the gourmet competition in Japan. You may have a small piece sometimes during a meal of sushi, but in general, when people go to eat unagi specifically, it’s a special occasion with the dish centered on the eel. Various shops have their own way of steaming and grilling it, and it’s usually coated many times with a savory sauce made specially in-house.

Many regions situated by large rivers have long been renowned for their unagi dishes, one of the most famous being Hamamatsu city in Shizuoka. Urawa in Saitama City was traditionally a well-known area for unagi, due to a large river nearby, and splintering rivers through flat wetlands. These days, unagi is not caught locally so much, but the culture is still very rooted, and locals and tourists alike enjoy unagi restaurants that have made a name for themselves over the years.

Unagi is generally grilled over charcoal, which is called kabayaki. Much in the same way people have their own ways of prepping and barbecuing, restaurants have their own unique, albeit subtle techniques for preparing and grilling the meat. The way to then enjoy unagi is to have a couple of flatly grilled steaks of it placed over rice, with a generous helping of sauce. The dishes are usually square, and designed in a way that they can be stacked upon one another for ease of carrying and storage; this is una-ju. Alternatively, you can enjoy it similarly over rice, but in a round bowl; called una-don.

The addition of soup and pickled vegetables make this an incredibly savory and filling meal. It is on the slightly more expensive side, but if you’ve tried the typical Japanese go-to foods like noodles, fried food, and sushi, unagi is sure to add a notch to your gourmet palate.

[You may be interested]
Urawa Unagi Festival (Every late May)