Across Japan, Unagi restaurants continue to bring in huge crowds, drawn mostly by the familiar deep, rich aroma, a smoky yet sweet smell, that permeates the streets around it. For many first-timers it’s hard to place the delicious taste wafting through the air, and for many visitors, despite the wonderful smell, the actual item being cooked may be a turn off.
Unagi is Japanese for freshwater eels. The shops sell slices of grilled eel, covered in layers of special sauce, and served on a piping hot bed of steaming rice. Eel is very popular in the summer months, and on a particular day known as Doyo No Ushi No Hi (Day of the Midsummer Ox) the nation’s Unagiya San, as the shops are called, are swept off their feet with customers wanting to eat the delicacy.
One of the most famous Unagi restaurants is located in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture. Japanese Restaurant Unagi Romantei Uoseki.
According to the noren, the cloth drapes at the entrance, and other visible signage, Unagi Uoseki of Tajimi has been operating since the 30th year of the Meiji Period, or since 1897,...that's a long time,… as long as the eels they serve, and as long as the list of famous clientele they’ve served too!
Unagi Uoseki’s menu isn’t all that extensive, nor is it all that expensive. Grilled eel lunches and dinners start from just 1,900 Yen and range up to up to 3,800 yen for a “long” serving, i.e., the eel is literally served in one long strip! Mini Kaiseki, full course Japanese styled dinners and lunches will set you back about 5,300 Yen.
Along with the various Unagi dishes are Hitsumabushi, a dish particular to the Nagoya and central Japan districts, in which the Unagi dish is served in one square lunch box, but each quarter is to be consumed in a different manner.
The restaurant underwent a full rebuild in 2011, and although the antique atmosphere has gone, what is left is now a clean, comfortable restaurant, with seating for up to 120 people, ideal for a date or business dinner. Uoseki is closed only one day a week, and that day is never the same and so phoning ahead (0572-22-5355) is suggested.
The restaurant is just a ten minute walk from the JR Tajimi Station. Tajimi’s Unagi Uoseki is so famous, you can ask anyone along the street you meet for directions, otherwise, just follow your nose.
