The dog days of summer are upon us and, by the Japanese calendar, they will be at their most canine on July 30, ushi no hi. Then, the relentless summer heat and energy-draining humidity call for us to be fortified by sturdy, nutritious fare. And this we find in unagi,the eel.
My wife and I thought it might be fun to show our nephews in the U.S. what this traditional Japanese summer dish looks like, so we set out to find a place that could provide a photo opportunity. Recalling that our city (Fukaya in northern Saitama) has a restaurant specializing in eel with a terrific local reputation, we headed off to see the beasts in all their slimy glory.
Called Kingyo-ya, the restaurant has been operated by the same family for four generations. When we told the owner, Hisayoshi Nakajima, that we wanted to see the eels, he suggested we come back in the morning, as this is the prime time for gutting and roasting. Two days later, I came in at 7:30 a.m. to witness the unagi preparation.