Squeezed in between towering modern neighbors, Akimoto's traditional low-rise architecture is so self-effacing you barely notice it. From the tiled eaves to the wood-slatted second-floor windows and the sliding door set back from the street, all is inscrutable.
The only modern addition to the exterior is the steel-framed sign hanging above the sidewalk, illuminating a simple brush stroke inside a stylized gourd. Any student of Japanese will recognize the phonetic hiragana character for "u"; any connoisseur of Japanese cuisine will know that it is the first syllable of unagi (eel), Akimoto's specialty for over a century now.
They will also be well aware that this is the peak season for dining on this plebeian delicacy. Freshwater eel, especially when broiled in the savory kabayaki style, is credited with the marvelous ability to provide energy in face of the debilitating heat of midsummer. And that it is particularly efficacious (or so it is claimed) when consumed on the Day of the Ox in the sweltering dog days of summer known as the doyo period.