River goodness

[Hot, chewy and delicious steamed in a bamboo steamer]

About a 10-minute walk from Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station, you’ll arrive at this restaurant with a view of the Yanagawa Castle Hori Suimono Gate. This is a long-established eel restaurant that has been in business for over 50 years, and customers from inside and outside the prefecture visit for their steamed eel.

The kabayaki eel served with hot, chewy rice is made with only domestically-produced eel. Covered in a rich sauce, it is carefully grilled to bring out the natural flavor of the eel, with crispy skin and fluffy meat. The secret sauce, which has been painstakingly crafted over the generations and added to over time, is available in two different flavors. A rich, well-seasoned sauce is used for the eel, while a lighter sauce is used for the rice, allowing you to enjoy a well-balanced flavor.

The steamed eel served in a relaxing tatami room takes about 30 minutes to be steamed after the order is placed, but the steam and delicious aroma that rises the moment the lid is lifted will lift your spirits. There are also menus that only have the steamed eel, but the (regular) and (large) sizes, which come with a small bowl of eel, are also popular. If you let them know when you make your reservation, they will prepare it according to your arrival time, so you can enjoy delicious, piping hot steamed eel with little waiting time.