The Great Heat has returned, blanketing the city, sapping our energy and, worse yet, stifling all appetite for food. There's only one solution for lifting that summer lethargy — at least if you hold with local lore: It's time to feast on that supreme summer specialty, unagi eel.
Whether or not you believe in its restorative powers to combat the debilitating midsummer heat, there's no denying that kabayaki grilled eel is one of Tokyo's great plebeian pleasures. Or that there's any finer setting for indulging than at the wonderful Myojinshita Kandagawa Honten.
With its proud timber facade, dry rock garden and gateway flanked by gnarled pines, this is one of the city's classic restaurants. The building itself is just 60 years old, rebuilt in traditional style after the destruction of World War II. However, Kandagawa Honten can trace its lineage all the way back to 1805, when the city was known as Edo and broiled eel was a hot new delicacy that was all the rage.