31-07-2025
Japanese restaurants busy serving eel on this year's 2nd Day of the Ox
Japanese eel restaurants were busy on Thursday as it marked this year's second midsummer Day of the Ox. Eating eel on the day is traditionally believed to help people overcome the summer heat.
The Urawa district in Saitama City, north of Tokyo, is known as a place for good eel dishes as the area used to have marshes where eels were caught. The city designates the area's eel cuisine as a traditional industry.
Customers formed a line in front of an eel restaurant in Minami Ward before it opened at 11 a.m. The establishment is more than 150 years old.
The eels are first boiled and then charcoal-grilled with sauce that has been continuously replenished since the restaurant's founding. The savory aroma of grilled eel filled the air while customers enjoyed the plump and tender meat of the fish.
A man visited the restaurant with his family members. He said this was the second time they ate eel this year. He said he likes to eat it when he feels like having a luxurious meal and wants stamina in this hot season.
Restaurant President Kojima Masayuki said people tend to feel tired in the summer heat, so he would like them to enjoy the taste of freshly cooked eel at his restaurant. He added that he will continue to work with others so that eel remains the area's delicacy into the future.
