Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

Shizuoka Prefecture is known for its delicious eel. Within the prefecture, Hamamatsu City, Yoshida Town, and Mishima City are areas known for eel, but unlike Hamamatsu City and Yoshida Town, which are production areas for farmed eel, Mishima City is not a production area for farmed eel. So, why is Mishima's eel so famous? Let's explore the secret behind its deliciousness.

Is there a connection between Mishima and eel at Mishima Taisha Shrine? The charm of eel grown in Mishima, the city of water.

Eels live in the pond of Mishima Taisha Shrine, and it is said that eating an eel will bring you punishment.There is also a legend that when the second Tokugawa shogun, Hidetada, stayed in Mishima, he sentenced his vassals to death for eating an eel. It is left behind. Later, around the time of the Meiji Restoration, samurai from Satsuma and Choshu, who were anti-shogunate factions, were not punished for eating eel in this area, so from then on local people also started eating eel, and eels were eaten here and there. It is said that the number of stores offering this has increased.

In the past, people used to eat eel from the pond at Mishima Taisha Shrine, but in modern times, Mishima eel does not come from a specific area. ``Mishima became famous for its eel because there are so many restaurants,'' which is of course true, but Mishima eel became famous because its taste was praised.

Mishima City has been selected as one of the ``Top 100 Water Villages'' and is so blessed with water that it is called the ``Water City.'' The snow and rain that falls on Mt. Fuji soaks into the lava flows over many years, turning into underground water that gushes out from all over the city. The water is mellow and soft, contains a moderate amount of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and is said to have a fresh taste.
By exposing the eel to Mishima's underground water, the fishy and muddy odor is removed, and excess fat is removed, making the eel delicious.　

During the period of high economic growth, Mishima's water was contaminated at times due to industrial use, but in the 1990s, NPOs, the city, and the private sector worked together to regenerate Mishima's water. This is also one of the reasons why Mishima came to be known as the "City of Water."

Enjoy Mishima eel even more deliciously at the long-established restaurant ``Unagi Sakuraya'', which was founded in 1856.

"Unagi Sakuraya", located just one walk from Mishima-Hirokoji Station on the Izu-Hakone Railway, is a long-established restaurant founded in 1 (Ansei 1856). This popular restaurant serves eel to 3 to 1 customers a day on weekdays and about 300 customers on holidays.

At the time of its establishment, as the name Sakuraya suggests, it was a restaurant that served cherry meat, or horse meat, but in keeping with the trends of the times, they started serving eel.

``I used to grill eel with my father, but when I was 20 years old, he suddenly collapsed and passed away.I'm sure he wanted to grill more eel. Although we have several employees, I still continue to grill eel myself in order to carry on my father's wishes,'' says Ushio Suzuki, the company's president.
His face turns completely red from standing in front of the charcoal fire for long hours every day, and you can feel his craftsmanship. There are only two people standing at the grilling area, including Seki-san, his disciple. Mr. Seki joined the shop at the age of 15 after graduating from junior high school, and is a dedicated craftsman in this field.
``There are so many talks about opening new stores here and there, but since I'm still standing at the grill grilling eel, I can't imagine opening another store.''

At Unagi Sakuraya, we pump up underground water from Mt. Fuji located about 50 meters underground at a place called Tateba, expose it to water for two or three days, let the mud spit out, and then turn it into clean water. I will expose it.
The slimy part of the eel is called mucin, and this slime allows the eel to retain water and survive. When eels are exposed to tap water containing bleach, they lose this mucin and die.

``All eels are not the same, and there are individual differences.Eel farmers also purchase eel from multiple sources, so the eel itself is completely different.However, when served to customers, they make it taste the same.That is what the craftsman does. It's my job.''
The taste of ``Unagi Sakuraya'' is described as ``karumi'' and has been created to create a ``taste that you will never get tired of eating'' that cannot be imitated anywhere else.

The eel at ``Unagi Sakuraya'' is grilled differently than in Tokyo. The raw meat is skewered on metal skewers and grilled over Bincho charcoal at a temperature of 1200 degrees, then steamed in a copper steamer, dipped in sauce and grilled again. By removing just the right amount of fat during this process, the food will not become too greasy and will have a flavor that you won't get tired of eating.

This method of grilling is the highlight of the skill of the artisans at ``Eel Sakuraya.'' The power of the charcoal fire varies depending on the location, so by skillfully using a fan to turn on the wind, sometimes stopping the wind, adjusting the heat of the different charcoal fires, and repeatedly turning the charcoal fire, the charcoal is grilled evenly.
“Three years of tearing, eight years of skewering, and a lifetime of grilling.” There is a saying of eel artisans that goes like this: Grilling eel at ``Unagi Sakuraya'' is not something that everyone can do, but only Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Seki can do it.

The eel at ``Unagi Sakuraya'' is grilled to a fragrant surface and has a fluffy and soft texture. I think there are many people who say that eel is "heavy" or "tasty" and that they don't like it, but because the fat is removed in a perfect way, it has a texture similar to that of white fish, and it's not too bitter. .

``If eel is too sweet, you can eat it at first, but then you get tired of it.To prevent that from happening, we create a flavor that makes you want to eat more when you take the last bite.'' I always think about these things in front of the charcoal while grilling. Also, delicious water is a very important part of cooking.It is precisely because Mishima's water is delicious that we are able to serve delicious eel.''

The eel, which has been exposed to Mt. Fuji's subterranean water and is odorless and delicious, is made even more delicious by the craftsmen of ``Unagi Sakuraya''. Please stop by if you are in the area.

store information
Store name: Unagi Sakuraya
Address: 13-2 Hirokojicho, Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Phone: 055-975-4520
http://www.sakura-ya.net/

If you want to know more about Mishima eel...

For more information on stores where you can enjoy Mishima eel, please see below.

Mishima Gourmet Trip Gastronomy Tourism Mishima
-Characteristics of Mishima eel
-Mishima Unagi store information

Mishima City Tourism WEB
-Mishima City Travel Brochure