SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Already checked all the sushi and ramen boxes on your Japanese food pilgrimage list? Then come along with us to the country’s favorite unagi specialist, located in downtown Tokyo.

Food & Drink, Japan
(best in Japan • eel • food • Ikebukuro • restaurants • Tokyo • unagi)

Japanese shopper finds the freshest sliced eel ever in a supermarket…with its heart still beating

Preston Phro
Nov 10, 2015

When it comes to fish and eel meat, “fresh” is the favorite for pretty much anyone. But how fresh is “too fresh?” Well, how do you feel about buying eel with a beating heart?!

Internet, Japan
(Akita • eel • food • fresh meat • shocking • video)

Eel-flavored catfish available for tasting at Gifu festival

Master Blaster
Oct 2, 2015

Eating catfish is looked down upon by many people in Japan who regularly enjoy a plethora of ocean-raised fish. Even though the Japanese diet is no stranger to aggressively aromatic food such as natto, diners here simply cannot get past the stink of these bottom feeders.

Eel on the other hand is a much-loved freshwater fish that is a summer hit across Japan served on top of rice with a sweet sauce. But with this popularity comes a threat of overfishing and depletion of the species. Faced with this problem, Associate Professor Masahiko Ariji of Kinki University has found a way to raise catfish which taste like eel.

Since its announcement earlier this year, there has been a lot of curiosity over this flavor-modified fish. Now, attendees to the Catfish Festival in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture will get to try a very limited supply before it gets released for public consumption.

Japan
(catfish • Catfish Festival • eel • fish • food • Gifu • science)

We try unagi cola with genuine eel extract 【Taste Test】

Oona McGee
Sep 10, 2015

Just last month we brought you news of its arrival and now it’s finally here! It’s the delicious/disgusting-sounding Eel Cola, made with real eel extract.

If the thought of drinking it makes you shudder, never fear: your intrepid RocketNews24 reporters have done the tasting for you. All the details after the break!

Japan
(Coca-Cola • Coke • Cola • eel • taste test • unagi)

Bacon soda’s new contender is here – Say hello to unagi cola!

Meg Murphy
Jul 4, 2015

Japan, thanks to its obsession with limited-edition and seasonal foods, has come to be known for its unusual drinks and snacks that come out throughout the year – matcha-flavored Kit Kats, purple sweet potato milkshakes, and sakura flavored hamburgers to name but a few.

Soda is no exception in the world of weird flavors, what with shiso and salted watermelon flavors having graced store shelves in the past. But here’s an even crazier one for all of you adventurous eaters out there: grilled eel flavor soda.

Japan
(Cola • eel • eel soda • food & drink • unagi • weird)

634 tiny eels in Tokyo aquarium to be broadcasted live online

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Oct 25, 2013

Care to watch hundreds of wriggling creatures squirming around in an underwater sand pit? Definitely not as cute as the puppy cam, but still pretty cool, 634 spotted garden eels in the Sumida Aquarium at the Tokyo Skytree will be broadcasted live on video streaming site, Nico Nico Douga.

Japan
(Aquarium • eel • video)

Business is booming for yakiniku restaurants, but are customers chemically dependent on meat?

Master Blaster
Jul 9, 2013

Yakiniku (Korean barbecue) restaurants have been popular in Japan for a long time now. People around here can’t seem to get enough of managing their own grill and eating copious amounts of pure meat. However, in recent years Japan seems to really be getting into red meat what with romantic meat themed video games and classily stacked Quarter Pounders for a king’s ransom.

Particularly around the summer season Japanese people appear to be craving red meat extra hard. News Post Seven reports that of all types of restaurants in Japan, the yakiniku sector has grown a hearty 14 percent compared to the previous year. It was the only type to grow over 10 percent – an impressive feat in this sluggish economy. As a result we are seeing other restaurants and bars adopting charcoal grills to tap into this success.

To answer the million dollar question of why Korean barbecue is going so strong, News Post Seven‘s Tatsuya Matsura came up with an interesting theory. Let’s see if it holds water and maybe a little BBQ sauce too.