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Unagi Kabayaki: Traditions of Doyo no Ushi no Hi, and differences in cooking methods between Kanto and Kansai

Unagi Kabayaki, with its savory aroma and secret sauce that stimulates the appetite, is the pinnacle of Japanese traditional stamina food.
This page delivers a complete guide to deeply enjoy Unagi, including the differences in food culture between Kanto and Kansai, and the secrets of Doyo no Ushi no Hi.

1. Eating Unagi in Japan: A Guide by Budget and Style

While Unagi is known as a high-class ingredient, it can be enjoyed in various styles, from affordable specialty stores to traditional long-established restaurants.

Style	Budget Estimate	Features and Experience	Recommended Usage Scenes
Supermarket / Takeout	$	You can buy packs of Kabayaki at affordable prices. You can enjoy it at home just by warming it up in the microwave.	Meals at home, or when you want to get stamina easily
Beef Bowl / Unagi Chain Stores	$$	You can eat "Unadon" (eel rice bowl) quickly at a reasonable price.	Lunchtime, or when you want to eat well quickly
Long-established Udon / Japanese Restaurants	$$$	You can taste Unagi dishes with local characteristics, such as elegant dashi or steamed eel in a bamboo steamer (seiro mushi).	When you want to enjoy a meal in a calm atmosphere
High-class Unagi Specialty Stores	$$$$$	Using carefully selected live eels, you can fully enjoy supreme courses and eel boxes (ju) grilled after receiving your order.	Dinner on special days, or the ultimate gourmet experience

2. Tips for Delicious Ways to Eat and Manners: Use of Sansho and Variations of Eating Styles

When eating Unagi Kabayaki, there are spices that enhance the flavor and special styles.

Powdered Sansho (Sansho Pepper): This is an essential spice for Unagi Kabayaki. Its refreshing aroma and tingling spiciness alleviate the heaviness of the fatty eel and tighten the taste. The trick is to sprinkle it little by little.
Difference between Unaju and Unadon: "Unadon" is eel served on top of rice, while "Unaju" is a style with a sense of luxury served in a lacquered box. It is often set with "Kimosui" (a clear soup containing eel innards) as a soup.
Hitsumabushi: A local cuisine of Nagoya where you can enjoy it in three ways at once: first as it is, second with condiments (green onions and wasabi), and third as ochazuke (green tea over rice).

【Standard Unagi Menu Items to Know】

Shirayaki (White Broiled): A style grilled as is without sauce. You can directly taste the original umami and sweetness of the eel's fat with wasabi soy sauce or salt.
Kimiyaki (Grilled Liver): Skewered eel liver grilled aromatically with a sweet and salty sauce. Perfect as a snack with beer or Japanese sake.
Umaki: A popular menu item that is a staple of traditional restaurants and specialty stores, where juicy Kabayaki is wrapped in fluffy egg omelet.

3. Decisive Differences between Kanto and Kansai: Back Opening/Steaming vs. Belly Opening/Direct Grilling

Even within Japan, there are major differences in how Unagi is cooked between Eastern Japan (Kanto) and Western Japan (Kansai).

Cooking method in Kanto (fluffy and soft): Against the background of the samurai culture of "disliking seppuku (ritual suicide)," it is "opened from the back," grilled as white broiled once, and then steamed to remove excess fat, finished into a soft, fluffy texture before being grilled with sauce.
Cooking method in Kansai (aromatic and crispy): Reflecting the merchant town culture that values "speaking openly (splitting the belly)," it is "opened from the belly," and grilled directly over an open flame without steaming, so you can enjoy the crispy and aromatic texture of the skin.

4. Origin of Doyo no Ushi no Hi (Midsummer Day of the Ox)

It is a Japanese custom to eat Unagi during the period when the summer heat is severe, but it is said to be the oldest marketing copy in Japan invented by Hiraga Gennai, a genius scientist in the Edo period. When he received a consultation saying "I want to sell Unagi that doesn't sell in the summer somehow," he put up a signboard saying "Today is Doyo no Ushi no Hi," which resulted in a great success and became established.

5. Fluffy even at home! Tips for warming up supermarket Unagi deliciously

When the Unagi purchased at a supermarket becomes dry, you can revive it to be fluffy and soft with a simple extra step.

What to prepare

Supermarket Unagi Kabayaki
Japanese Sake (1-2 tablespoons)
Cooking sheet (or aluminum foil)
Included sauce / Sansho

Tips for warming

Wash off (or wipe off) the sauce: First, wash off the old sauce and burnt parts on the surface lightly with water, and wipe off the moisture.
Sprinkle Japanese Sake: Place the Unagi on a cooking sheet, sprinkle it with Japanese sake, and wrap it loosely with plastic wrap (or wrap it in foil).
Heat in a microwave or frying pan: Heat it in a microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or put a small amount of water and sake in a frying pan and cover it to steam-grill, and it will return to a fluffy texture like that of a specialty store.

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