Unagi: Japan’s Grilled Eel Tradition, and Why It’s Worth Trying:
Freshwater eel isn’t a dish most visitors have encountered before arriving in Japan, it’s rarely eaten this way elsewhere, which is exactly what makes it worth trying. Unagi (eel) prepared in the traditional Japanese style is rich, tender, and completely different from what the phrase “eel dish” might conjure up. Here’s what to know about the main ways it’s served.
Why Unagi Feels So Unfamiliar to Most Visitors
Eel simply isn’t part of everyday cooking in most countries the way it is in Japan, and the idea of eating it can feel unusual before you’ve actually tried it. In Japan, however, unagi has a long culinary history, prepared using a specific grilling and glazing technique that transforms it into something closer to a rich, savory-sweet delicacy than anything resembling a “fishy” or unusual flavor. Texture-wise, well-prepared unagi is soft and almost custardy, with the char and glaze adding a deep, caramelized flavor on top.
Kabayaki: The Foundational Preparation
Kabayaki is the base technique behind nearly all unagi dishes: the eel is filleted, deboned, skewered, and grilled, then repeatedly basted with a sweet soy-based sauce (tare) as it cooks, building up layers of glaze with each pass over the grill. The result is a fillet with a glossy, dark, caramelized exterior and tender, rich meat underneath. Kabayaki can be served on its own, but it’s more commonly the star ingredient in the two rice-based dishes below.
Unaju: Grilled Eel Over Rice in a Lacquered Box
Unaju takes kabayaki-style grilled eel and serves it over a bed of rice inside a rectangular lacquered box (the “ju” in the name refers to this style of tiered box), with extra tare sauce drizzled over both the eel and rice. It’s considered a slightly formal, higher-end way to serve the dish, often reserved for special occasions or a deliberate treat-yourself meal, and the presentation itself, the eel laid neatly across the rice inside the lacquered box, is part of the experience. A close relative, unadon, serves the same combination in a simple rice bowl rather than a lacquered box, generally a more casual, everyday version of the same basic dish.
Hitsumabushi: A Nagoya Specialty with Its Own Ritual
Hitsumabushi, strongly associated with Nagoya, takes the eel-over-rice concept and turns it into a multi-stage eating experience, traditionally served in a wooden tub (ohitsu) with the eel finely chopped and mixed through the rice rather than laid on top in full fillets.
- First serving: eat a portion of the eel and rice as-is, to appreciate the plain flavor of the kabayaki and rice together.
- Second serving: add the provided condiments, typically chopped scallion, wasabi, and nori (seaweed), to a second portion, changing the flavor profile.
- Third serving: pour a hot dashi broth or tea over a third portion, turning it into something closer to ochazuke, a warm, savory, soup-like dish.
- Fourth “serving”: eat the remaining portion however you personally enjoyed it best across the first three rounds.
This structured way of eating is part of what makes hitsumabushi a genuinely different experience from unaju, rather than just a regional variation on the same dish.
Why Unagi Is Traditionally Eaten in Summer
Unagi has a long-standing association with a specific midsummer date known as Doyo no Ushi no Hi, based on a traditional belief that eating eel on this day helps combat summer fatigue and heat exhaustion, given the dish’s rich, nutrient-dense qualities. While unagi restaurants operate year-round, this seasonal tradition means demand, and sometimes prices, tend to rise specifically around this date each summer.
What to Expect Price-Wise
Unagi has become an increasingly premium ingredient in recent years due to eel population and sourcing concerns, and it’s generally priced higher than most other rice bowl dishes covered elsewhere in Japanese cuisine. It’s worth treating it as a deliberate, slightly special meal rather than an everyday cheap lunch option, particularly at dedicated, well-regarded unagi restaurants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in the way many first-timers worry it might. The rich tare glaze and grilling technique give it a savory-sweet, caramelized flavor profile that most visitors find far more approachable than expected, closer to a rich, glazed protein than anything resembling a strong fish flavor.
Mainly presentation and formality, unaju is served in a lacquered box and generally considered the more special, higher-end version, while unadon serves the same basic combination in a simple rice bowl, a more everyday format.
Some restaurants elsewhere in Japan serve their own version, but it remains most strongly associated with, and most commonly found in, Nagoya specifically, so it’s worth prioritizing there if your itinerary includes the city.
Wild eel populations have declined in recent years, making sourcing more difficult and costly, which has pushed prices up across nearly all unagi restaurants and products.
Next Steps
If your itinerary includes Nagoya, try hitsumabushi specifically for its unique multi-stage eating ritual. Otherwise, look for a well-regarded unagi restaurant serving unaju or unadon, and treat it as a worthwhile, slightly special meal rather than a casual, cheap lunch choice.
This post is part of an ongoing series on Japan travel planning. Check back for more guides on Japanese food worth seeking out.
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