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jueves, 30 de junio de 2022

Chikawa beats out Evangelion and Super Mario to win Japan Character Award 2022

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Don’t mistake cuteness for softness.

While many countries can boast being full of character, only few can claim to be full of characters. Japan is certainly one such country with no shortage of fictional people, animals, and animal-people that have found fame worldwide.

One award that celebrates the best of the best of these characters is the Japan Character Award. Although not widely known, even in Japan, these awards carry a lot of weight because they are held by the Character Brand Licensing Association, an industry group that oversees character licensing in Japan and overseas.

The list of past grand prize winners reads like a who’s who of Japanese cultural icons too, and includes Pokémon, One Piece, Kumamon, Funasshi, Yo-Kai Watch, Sumikogurashi, and Demon Slayer. The recipient of the Japan Character Award 2022, however, may have taken everyone by pleasant surprise: Chikawa!

Chikawa is a shortened version of the full title Nanka Chisakute Kawaii Yatsu meaning “a cute thing in a small kind of way” and follows the quick and cute antics of titular character Chikawa and its little animal pals such as a cat, rabbit, and bear. However, the superficial cuteness belies a troubled world increasingly infested with weeds and monsters, and an underlying sense of danger and depression haunts the characters as they rely on their friendship to overcome problems.

▼ In this strip, a chimera suddenly appears while Chikawa is doing a jigsaw puzzle. It then attacks but Chikawa manages to desperately scare it away

Created in 2020 by an artist who goes by the name Nagano as a Twitter-based manga, the franchise has exploded into a published manga, televised anime series, and a whole lot of merchandising.

▼ You know you’ve made it when Sanrio gives you the nod to recreate their legendary characters in your own style

While Nagano’s huge and loyal following on social media has been the backbone of her success, the addition of an anime series has brought Chikawa to a whole new audience of children, allowing its fame to skyrocket even further.

▼ The anime seems to tone down the nihilistic parts so far

To give a sense of how big Chikawa has become, the other special Japan Character Award winners which it beat out to earn the grand prize include Evangelion (which won two awards for the success of its final reboot film and complex collaboration with five different restaurant chains at the same time), Tokyo Revengers (for its success in manga, anime, and film), and Super Mario for lending its brand to a popular line of loungewear by Gelato Pique.

The grand prize was awarded based on five factors; marketability, novelty, sociality, creativity, and future potential. It was especially that last criteria that contributed to Chikawa claiming the top prize. Its leap from a Twitter-based comic strip to multimedia franchise in about a year could only be described as explosive.

The Japan Character Award 2022 explained that Chikawa is “not only cute but also has a deep world view.” That sentiment was echoed by many online comments which also gleefully congratulated Nagano on her success.

“Chikawa is awesome!”
“Congratulations Nagano-san and Chikawa-chan!”
“This is great news.”
“It’s not so ‘small’ any more, is it.”
“Deep? It’s more like an abyss and a pretty hard world.”
“Welcome to dystopia.”
“Saying Chikawa has ‘future potential’ kind of goes against the theme of Chikawa.”

“Let’s celebrate, Chikawa!”

It certainly seems that Chikawa is poised to become the next big thing in Japan and possibly even beyond. Be sure to check out the ongoing series on Twitter if you can. There’s not a lot of coherent dialog in it either, making it pretty good reading material for those studying Japanese.

Source: Japan Character Award, PR Times, Otaku.com, Twitter/@ngnchiikawa
Top image: Japan Character Award 2022 ©nagano / chiikawa committee
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Amazing castle photo ever shows why you shouldn’t skip this often-overlooked part of Japan

https://ift.tt/dN2catP Casey Baseel

Breathtaking night sky shows the beauty of this landlocked prefecture.

It’s pretty easy for travelers to forget about Gifu. It’s one of Japan’s few landlocked prefectures, and many tourists end up drawn to the attractions of Gifu’s neighbors instead, such Nagano’s ski slopes, Mie’s Ise Shrine, Shiga’s Lake Biwa, or the big-city sights of Nagoya in Aichi.

That doesn’t mean people should forget about Gifu, though, and with a dramatic reminder of that is Japanese photographer and Twitter user @ta2funk, with one of the coolest Japanese castle photos we’ve ever seen.

That’s Gifu Castle, which stands in Gifu City, and as you can probably guess from the photo’s quality, this wasn’t the first time @ta2funk turned his lens towards the night sky. “Over seven years, I’ve taken about 400 full-moon photos,” he says, “and out of all of them, this one is the best.”

@ta2funk says several people have asked him if the photo, which he took back in August of 2018 but recently shared on Twitter, is a multi-image composite. He says it’s all single photo, though, even while he admits that he himself can barely believe how fortunate the picture’s timing and focus were.

▼ @ta2funk shows the photo’s original data and lighting correction.

@ta2funk’s self-assessment that this is the best full-moon photo he’s ever taken doesn’t appear to be a case of overconfidence if reactions from other Twitter users are anything to go by.

“That moon’s presence is overwhelming.”
“It looks like the opening shot for a Hollywood-made ninja movie.”
“I thought this was a video game cutscene!”
“Feels like Sekiro’s Genichiro is going to pop out…”
“What a mysterious and lovely moon.”
“I’ve got no words that can describe this.”

None of this is to say that the runners-up in @ta2funk’s personal best lunar pics rankings are any slouches, though.

But while a trip to the moon is a bit outside most of our travel options, @ta2funk does entourage everyone to come visit Gifu, with this collection of photos showing other parts of the prefecture as well.

And if you’re staying overnight, staying somewhere in Gifu City with a view of the castle sounds like a great idea.

Source: Twitter/@ta2funk via IT Media, Maido News
Images: Twitter/@ta2funk
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Charges dropped against elderly Japanese man for nailing Putin voodoo doll to sacred shrine tree

https://ift.tt/yAk6QTV Casey Baseel

Many hope he finds a different way to express his feelings about the Russian president, though.

There are certain things you expect to see at a Shinto shrine in Japan. A torii gate, a collection box, a bell to ring before you offer a prayer. What you usually don’t expect, though, are wara ningyo, or Japanese voodoo dolls.

But wara ningyo are exactly what kept turning up at Shinto shrines in the town of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, about 20 minutes east of the Tokyo city center. The effigies were found nailed to trees with a spike, in accordance with traditional Japanese death curse protocol, and all of them also had pictures of the intended target of the malicious magic, Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Two weeks ago, investigators arrested Mitsunobu Hino, a 72-year-old resident of Matsudo, on charges of property damage after Hino was seen on security camera footage carrying a wara ningyo at a shrine shortly before one of the dolls was found nailed to the ground’s sacred tree. Hino didn’t exactly deny the charges when investigators came to his home to place him under arrest, but it turns out he won’t be facing any legal repercussions, at least for the time being, as the charges against him have been dropped.

Hino was released from police custody shortly after his arrest, and on Monday investigators said that prosecution will not be going ahead against Hino. This isn’t because he’s no longer suspected of nailing the doll to the tree, but because the shrine where he was seen on video, Mikazuki Shrine, has decided not to pursue the matter any further. “The victim has withdrawn the complaint,” explained a spokesperson for the Chiba Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Matsudo division.

Online reactions to the development have been a mixture of understanding and admonition, with Twitter comments such as:

“I can understand his sentiment, but he should find a better way to express it.”
“I’m sort of rooting for him, but he shouldn’t nail things into the shrine’s tree.”
“When they said ‘The victim has withdrawn the complaint’ I almost thought they meant Putin.”
“So Putin is cursed.”
“It looks like the wara ningyo aren’t being very effective against Putin. My coworker thinks it’s time to change tactics and throw holy water at him instead.”

Hino is also suspected of close toa dozen other wara ningyo vandalism cases in the city, however, so there remains a chance that one of the other shrines could still file a complaint against him if evidence hat he was involved surfaces.

Sources: NHK News Web via Jin, FNN Prime Online, Twitter
Top image: Pakutaso
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Our otaku reporter Seiji rides the slowest train to Chichibu–and his coworker flips out

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What’s so wrong with taking the local train to Chichibu?

It’s been 11 years since the release of the anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, a touching story about childhood friendships and loss that is one of our otaku reporter Seiji Nakazawa’s favorites. The anime is set in Chichibu, a small, picturesque mountain city in the prefecture of Saitama just outside of Tokyo, and for Seiji, Chichibu is like a second hometown. It’s so close to his heart that he forgot it wasn’t physically close to him too.

▼ An Anohana poster

But a recent trip to Chichibu to meet his editor Go Hatori reminded him just how far away it is. By local train, it can take about two hours from Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station, since Seibu Chichibu Station is the last station on the Seibu Chichibu Line and the most western and most northern station of any Seibu Railway line. The line travels through villages and over hills via mountain passes, so going there feels like going on vacation.

The local train ticket cost 786 yen (US$5.85), and since it’s a long ride, Seiji boarded the train for Seibu Chichibu early in the morning in order to make his meeting with Go. The inside was nearly empty. The only other passengers in the car were a middle-aged couple, whose drunken bickering could be heard distantly over the lulling catank catank of the cars as they rolled over the railroad. The experience was actually quite soothing. The silence beyond silence in the car made Seiji wonder if that was what it meant to experience wabisabi.

So pleasant was his experience that, when Seiji arrived at Seibu Chichibu and met up with Go, he began to tell Go all about it. Suddenly, Go flipped out.

Go: “You dozed off the local train on the way here? You’re not supposed to ride the local train! Are you kidding me, man? Seriously? Come on.”

Seiji: “Wait…are you mad?”

Go: “I’m not mad. But as long as I’m not mad you won’t understand, probably. That’s where the challenge for me lies. Yeah. Well…should I be mad? Yeah.”

Seiji was completely baffled by his normally even-tempered editor’s angry mutters. He could not understand what was so wrong with taking the local train. It’s not like he’d arrived late. He’d actually gotten to Seibu Chichibu Station before Go. So why was Go all of a sudden so mad that he stormed back up to the train platform without even taking the time to leave the station and take some pictures? Knowing that our bosses only ever get mad for our sakes, Seiji decided to ask.

Seiji: “Why are you mad?”

Go: “How could you come to Seibu Chichibu without riding the Tokyu Laview?!”

Seiji: “Sorry…The what?”

Go: “Come on, man! How did you travel from Ikebukuro to Chichibu without knowing about the Tokyu Laview? The seats are soft and comfortable and they come with pillows. Once it leaves Ikebukuro, it only stops at four stations so it doesn’t even feel that far to Chichibu! Plus, even though it’s basically like a bullet train to Chichibu, it only costs 710 yen more than the local train! You can’t beat that cost performance. What were you thinking?!”

Seiji: “That does sound like a good deal…”

Go: “The craziest thing about the Laview is the windows. They’re huge! They basically go all the way down to your feet, so you can see everything. Your whole upper body is open to the window, so you feel like you’re flying over the gorges. The whole point of meeting here was so we could ride this train!”

▼ Go, pointing proudly at the Laview’s windows

Seiji: “So I woke up at 6 a.m. for this?”

Go: “If you’d ridden the Tokyu Laview, you probably could have slept in more. What kind of idiot comes to Chichibu without riding the Laview?!”

It was now clear to Seiji that Go was so seduced by the charms of the Tokyu Laview that he was outraged that someone would even consider coming to Chichibu without riding it. So without even leaving the station…

Go dragged Seiji onto the next Laview…

And they rode the luxury liner home together.

▼ “Ah…so comfortable.”

So the next time you decide to visit Chichibu, whether to experience their stunning icicle world in winter or the colorful display of pink moss fields in the spring (like at the Mt. Fuji shibazakura fields), make sure you ride the luxury liner Laview, lest Go hears about it and gives you an earful.

Photos © SoraNews24
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The restaurant where one of Japan’s last samurai lords ate now has a café with really good cake

https://ift.tt/Kl1L9oU Casey Baseel

If Kawai Tsuginosuke were alive today, he’d probably order the Special Plate dessert too.

From the outside, Tochu looks like a very important place, and it is. The building, located in the town of Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, has been in business since the Edo period, when Japan was still ruled by a shogun and feudal samurai government, and the building is now an officially designated tangible cultural property.

For more than 150 years, Tochu has operated as a ryotei, a type of high-class Japanese restaurant that prides itself both on the quality of its food and its elegant ambiance. In addition to dining rooms and a banquet hall, guests will also find an exquisite garden, its pond filled with elegantly swimming carp, waiting for them on the premises.

Visitors can even set foot into the Umenoma, or “Plum Room,” where Kawai Tsuginosuke, one of Japan’s last samurai and the commander of the Niigata region at the time, ate his meal on May 2, 1868. Kawai’s visit came after meeting with revolutionary leaders and attempting to stave off the beginning of what would eventually come to be known as the Boshin War, which ended with the restoration of the imperial family as the rulers of Japan and the dissolution of the samurai class.

▼ The Umenoma, so named because originally it offered a view of plum blossom trees

But for all of its historical significance, Tochu isn’t averse to change. A few years ago it started a new venture, the Tochu Cafe, which operates within the building.

▼ The sign next to the door, with 東忠喫茶室 (Tochu kissashitsu, or “Tochu cafe room”), will tip passersby off.

The cafe space is a bit more contemporary in design than the rest of the facility, but still has a Japanese atmosphere.

You can get coffees such as Amarello Bourbon or French blend…

…but what we were really here for were the desserts.

For indecisive types, or simply those with a palate refined enough to appreciate a wide range of sweets, we’d recommend the 550-yen ($4.10) Special Plate, which gives you a variety of sweets to enjoy. The exact mix changes by the day or season, but on our visit our favorites were the cake, with a mousse topping and a filling of jam and nuts…

…and the ice brulee, which greeted us with a delicate snap and delicious custard sensation when we bit into it.

Our plate even came with a small slice of rice-flour poundcake and a meringue cookie.

Alternatively, you can be more focused in your dessert decisions with specific orders such as the 450-yem opera cake, made with the cafe’s in-house coffee blend…

…or, if being in a Japanese historical site has you in the mood for traditional Japanese sweets, the 450-yen shiratama zenzai, a bowl of mochi dumplings in an azuki sweet bean sauce.

After one more look at the garden, we were on our way, but we’re already looking forward to going back again, even if we feel lucky to have eaten at such a unique cafe even once.

Location information
Tochu Cafe/ 東忠カフェ
Address: Niigata-ken, Ojiya-shi, Motomachi 11-11
新潟県小千谷市元町11-11
Website

Photos © SoraNews24
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miércoles, 29 de junio de 2022

Curry and lassi ice creams: Like eating cubes of frozen curry roux

https://ift.tt/j0mKeqW Oona McGee

Some convenience store ice creams aren’t as great as you think they’ll be. 

Japanese confectionery company Imuraya is a red bean confectionery specialist best known for its super popular Azuki Bar ice cream. The company is always thinking outside the box for new ideas, though, and this summer they’re taking our taste buds on a new adventure, with bite-sized Lassi and Spice Curry ice creams.

▼ A box of six retails for 192 yen (US$1.42).

As diehard curry fans, we were looking forward to trying these, and we were hoping to get three of each variety in our box.

However, as it turns out, our selection was heavy on the lassi, with four lassi and only two curry ice creams in the mix.

Was this simply a random selection? Or was the curry so spicy that each piece needed two lassi to to counteract the heat? Just in case it was the latter, we decided to coat the tongue with some lassi first, for safety’s sake.

This ice cream was absolutely delicious, and the flavour of lassi was distinct on the palate. It was sweet yet slightly tart, as you’d expect from a lactic acid drink, and it had a crisp, refreshing finish.

▼ Now time for the curry. 

Upon opening the package, the aroma of curry immediately filled the room — the scent was far stronger than we could’ve imagined for such a small piece of ice cream. To be honest, the smell was slightly unnerving, and the look of it, with brown specks of curry sprinkled throughout, wasn’t something we usually like to see in our ice cream.

Still, Imuraya usually knows what they’re doing when it comes to ice creams, so we threw aside our concerns and popped the ice cream into our mouth. Within seconds, our taste buds recoiled in shock, as they were overloaded with salt.

▼ Like salty curry bombs!

If salt was the first attack, spice was the second, because as soon as we got over the saltiness of the ice cream, our taste buds were bombarded by spices. Looking at the pack, we saw that the curry ice creams contain 36 kinds of spices mixed in with a coconut base, but we couldn’t taste the coconut at all — instead, it was seriously spicy.

It was so salty and spicy it felt as if we’d just eaten a cube of frozen curry roux. Imuraya doesn’t shy away from letting the curry overpower the ice cream, and while that may not suit all palates, it’ll definitely thrill those looking to try a weird and unusual ice cream.

▼ Only available at Lawson convenience stores for a limited time.

Each curry ice cream definitely needs at least two lassi ice creams to offset the spicy aftertaste, so Imuraya knew what they were doing when they divided up the portions for each box.

We could still smell curry on our breath half an hour after eating them, so be warned — these are strong! It just goes to show that not all convenience store ice creams are sweet and delicious. And now that we think about it, not all convenience store drinks are designed to delight your palate either!

Photos © SoraNews24
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This open-air museum in Hokkaido is a must-visit for fans of history and one popular manga series

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Hokkaido Kaitaku no Mura is a golden opportunity to explore Japanese history and earn some otaku cred.

During her recent travels through Hokkaido Prefecture, our Japanese-language reporter Saya Togashi visited the site of the worst bear attack in Japanese history. Her trip wasn’t all about the struggle between humanity and wild animals, though, as she also stopped by Hokkaido Kaitaku no Mura, or “Hokkaido Pioneering Village,” in Sapporo.

The open-air museum features more than 50 historical buildings, relocated to or reconstructed at the site, and guests can go inside and explore almost all of them. In addition to history buffs, Kaitaku no Mura has recently been seeing increased interest from anime and manga fans, as several of the buildings were used as models for location in historical adventure series Golden Kamuy.

As a big fan of the series, Saya was hoping to see everything Kaitaku no Mura has to offer. However, it turns out it’s a very big place, so if you find yourself running short on time while you’re there, here are her top five recommendations.

5. Kondo Clinic

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost prefecture, and this clinic was built in 1900 when doctor Seikichi Kondo moved from the port city of Hakodate to the smaller town of Furubira.

The first floor of the wooden structure contains examination, operating, and waiting rooms, while the second floor was the doctor’s living space.

The interior has been amazingly well preserved, as though time simply stopped, freezing everything in the condition it was a century ago. It’s also an exact match to the clinic where Golden Kamuy’s Kano Ienaga receives treatments for her injuries.

4. Yamamoto Barber Shop

Originally located along a walking path that led to a Shinto shrine, this barber shop went through multiple owners after one Mr. Yamamoto founded it.

“Yamamoto” will instantly ring a bell to Golden Kamuy fans, since there’s a barber shop with the exact same name in the series.

▼ It looks peaceful here, but this was the site of a fierce fight between Tamotsu and Umakichi.

3. Urakawa Government Building

This building was originally constructed in 1919, as the Japanese government set up facilities to administer the developing network of new communities being established in Hokkaido. Though some of Kaitaku no Mura’s buildings only allow you to access the first floor, you can head upstairs here.

To Golden Kamuy fans, though, the building will be mor recognizable as the model for the Sapporo World Hotel, setting of the “Murder Hotel” arc of the series.

2. Hirosue Photo Studio

This is a reconstruction of a photo studio that was in operation in Iwamizawa from the Taisho era (which ended in 1926) up to 1958. Like many building designed in that period, architecturally it’s a mix of Western and Japanese elements.

The first floor seems to have been a living space, with the second floor’s slanted roof and ample sunlight being the photo space, as seen in Golden Kamuy when a number of the cast members get their picture taken thre.

1. Fukushi Family Residence

Narutoyo Fukushi was a shipbuilder, interpreter, meteorologist, and surveyor, and this was his family’s home from the middle of the Meiji period (1868-1912) until 1922. Within Golden Kamuy, though, it’s the hideout used by Toshizo Hijikata and his allies.

That concludes Saya’s top five, but again, she recommends seeing as much as you have time for at Kaitaku no Mura, with some of the other highlights of her visit being the soba shop (which still serves noodles if you’re hungry)…

…and the ryokan inn.

But rather than try to cram in more than you can comfortably see, it’s best to spend as much time as you like in each building, since you’ve got decades and decades of history to soak up.

Location information
Hokkaido Kaitaku no Mura / 北海道開拓の村
Address: Hokkaido, Sapporo-shi, Atsubetsu-ku, Atsubetsu-cho, Konopporo 50-1
北海道札幌市厚別区厚別町小野幌50-1
Addmission 800 yen (adults), 600 yen (high school/university students), free for junior-high and younger children
Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (May-September), 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (October-April)
Closed Mondays
Website

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Quality-spaghetti making robot starts working in Tokyo at the end of the month【Video】

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The future of spaghetti is here.

For years I have strived to make the perfect bowl of spaghetti and always failed. Whether its getting distracted by a Garfield comic and letting the noodles boil too long, or using blueberry jam because I forgot to buy any tomatoes, something always seems to go wrong.

Needless to say, my love of high-brow humor and forgetfulness are what make me human, and therein lies the problem. What’s needed for perfect spaghetti is the cold relentless attention to detail that only a robot can provide, and now, thanks to restaurateur Pronto Corporation and startup TechMagic, we have it!

P-Robo is said to be a “world-first” in pasta-cooking robotics. Robot kitchens have been done before, but Pronto and TechMagic agreed that the novelty of robots alone were not enough and set out on a four-year mission to develop a robot that can match the food preparation abilities of a skilled cook from start to finish.

After boiling the pre-cooked, frozen noodles, one of P-Robo’s mechanical arms dumps them into a specially designed frying pan along with the appropriate seasonings. The deep-bowl-like pan is then placed in a special high-output induction heater and spun around to evenly distribute the sauces and prevent their quality from degrading due to too overexposure to the heat. Finally, the cooked pasta is delivered to a human staff member who puts it on a plate and adds the finishing touches.

The entire process takes from 45 to 75 seconds depending on how may orders it’s handling at the same time, because it’s faster when busy. Moreover, P-Robo uses AI image processing to check that the ingredients are correct and mixing evenly. It also takes up less kitchen space and does its own dishes, reducing the need for employees of the flesh by about two in the process.

It has already won over many online, who eagerly anticipate the arrival of this technological marvel. However, not everyone was completely sold on it.

“This is fantastic.”
“I’m totally going there! I hope I can see in the kitchen.”
“I’m more excited about 45-second pasta than the robot.”
“If it can reduce the price and serve a reliable product, then I like it!”
“This seems very Japanese.”
“I think ‘heart’ is absolutely needed for cooking.”
“Is this really a ‘robot’ though? It looks more like an automated machine.”

That’s a fair question, but I’m inclined to say it’s a robot in the sense that it does pretty much everything from adding ingredients to moving everything where it needs to be autonomously. The constant whirring noises it makes are also very roboty.

Perhaps seeing it first-hand is the best way to judge and starting 30 June you can do just that when E Vino Spaghetti opens its doors for the first time in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Several types are available such as carbonara and squid ink, all in the neighborhood of 1,000 yen (US$7.39) a dish.

If their brand of convenience and quality proves successful, they hope to have 50 locations around Japan in the next five years. There is also talk of selling the technology to other restaurants as well, so even if you can’t make it out to E Vino Spaghetti, P-Robo may come to your area soon enough.

Restaurant information
E Vino Spaghetti / エビノスパゲッティ
Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi 2-4-1 Marunouchi Building B1
東京都千代田区丸の内2-4-1 丸の内ビルディングB1F
Hours: 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Source: PR Times, NHK News Web, Impress Watch, Hachima Kiko
Images: PR Times
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Does the eel from these cheap takeout shops pass the buyobuyo quality test? We find out

https://ift.tt/yst5wrP Dale Roll

Unagi for about 1,000 yen…is it worth it?

Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, a luxury health food that many people consider worth splurging on from time to time. Often served over a bowl of rice, it’s far more expensive than your average beef or katsu bowl, and thus if you want seriously quality unagi, you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Of course, you don’t have to spend big bucks to enjoy an unagi bowl. Popular Japanese chains often sell it for around 1,000 yen (US$7.40). The problem is, then you run the risk of getting unagi with the dreaded “buyobuyo” quality, the flabby bottom-level of unagi. You want your unagi to be firm, plush, and flavorful, not soggy and limp.

But they can’t all be bad, right? Our Japanese-language reporter and food investigator Yuichiro Wasai was curious to find out which Japanese restaurant chains’ unagi would pass the buyobuyo test, so he purchased five different takeout an unagi bowl to find out.

Unfortunately, though Yuichiro would very much like to buy an unagi bowl from every cheap place in town, he can only eat so much, so after much deliberation, he decided to test only these five. Please note that all prices are takeout prices.)

● Yoshinoya’s Unaju (Eel over rice in a lacquered box) Single Eel Bowl (1,077 yen)
● Nakau’s Unaju (880 yen)
● Sukiya’s Unadon (Eel over rice in a bowl) Regular Size Bento (850 yen)
● Gusto’s Unagi Bento (1,079 yen)
● Origin Bento’s Unaju with Unagi from China (1,069 yen)

Since Yuichiro had the prices for each of his bowls, he decided to weigh each one to see how much volume you get per price. The food weights aren’t exact, since he couldn’t remove the meals from their containers without ruining their presentation, but there there was still one restaurant that pulled well above the others in terms of weight.

Though each of the ungai bowls weighed over 330 grams (11.6 ounces), Yoshinoya’s came out to 406 grams (14.3 ounces), nearly fifty grams heavier than Nakau’s, which was the next-heaviest.

However, when it came to the actual mass of the unagi itself, Yoshinoya’s eel only came out to be seven grams more than Gusto’s and Origin’s, indicating that maybe the bulk of Yoshinoya’s extra weight is rice. Nevertheless, the volume of food per yen was such that it might be well worth the over 1,000 yen price…if it passes the buyobuyo test.

(Warning: some people might find the following images gross, especially if you don’t like eel. If you think you’re okay, continue on.)

Now for the real test. Yuichiro began to flip the unagi one by one to check how limp-looking their bottoms were.

▼ Sukiya

▼ Gusto

▼ Yoshinoya

▼ Nakau

▼ Origin Bento

They all looked…reasonably flabby. Or at least, they didn’t have the chargrilled look unagi is supposed to have. Not like unagi specialty chain Unatoto’s takeout unagi, pictured below.

Sad to say, they all looked like they were made with speed and process optimization in mind…which isn’t surprising given that they were all cheap unagi bowls from chain restaurants. Nevertheless, there were some that stood out flavor-wise, and some that stood out for their cost performance, so here is Yuichiro’s ranking of the five different unagi bowls.

5. Yoshinoya’s Unaju Single Eel Bowl (1,077 yen)

Unfortunately, having the most volume didn’t save this unagi bowl from being ranked as the most buyobuyo. It was a shame since the top of the fish looked like it had so much elasticity. There was just too big a gap between the appearance of the front and the back. However, it did have the advantage of having the biggest serving of eel, so if you’re looking for a filling meal, this might be your best bet.

4. Gusto’s Unagi Bento (1,079 yen)

In terms of flavor, this bento was unremarkable, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unagi that tastes “just fine” at this price is actually pretty great. It also didn’t have a significant amount of buyobuyo, at least not enough for Yuichiro to notice. However, the rice in this bento was a little bit on the dry side, which is what bumped it down to fourth place.

3. Nakau’s Unaju (880 yen)

This was the only one that came with thin omelet strips, so it was the most colorful to look at. But Yuichiro thought if they were going to the trouble and expense of adding anything, he would much rather have more sauce than omelet strips. The unagi, however, was nice and soft, though Yuichiro ranked it fourth in terms of buyobuyo-ness.

2. Sukiya’s Unadon Regular Size Bento (850 yen)

This one was the least buyobuyo, and the unagi had a nice elasticity to it. However,  it was still the opposite of fluffy. Yuichiro wasn’t quite sure how to describe it. Perhaps it was very…austere?

1. Origin Bento’s Unaju with Unagi from China (1,069 yen)

Although this one was a bit more buyobuyo compared to Sukiya’s unagi, it definitely had a much softer and fluffier texture. More than anything else, the flesh of the unagi was nice and thick. But the best thing of all was how they provided the sauce in a separate package.

Since the sauce will often end up being the lifeline of cheap unagi like this, Yuichiro believes that applying the sauce just when you’re ready to eat it is best, which is why this bento got top marks for thoughtfulness. Origin’s unagi bento also won because it came with pickles–and who doesn’t love pickles?–and was very transparent about its sourcing.

Regardless of which restaurant each unagi bento came from, however, Yuichiro had to say that he really appreciated all the effort they’ve gone through to provide a decent experience of unagi at a reasonable price. After tasting these, Yuichiro learned that there’s no reason to be too much of a snob when it comes to cheap unagi. At the very least, trying them all might make one appreciate expensive unagi even more. Or, if you’re like Yuichiro, you’ll always be searching for that extra delicious yet affordable unagi bento.

By the way, if you’re a fan of saltwater eel as well as freshwater eel, don’t forget to check out our investigation into which conveyer belt sushi chain has the best anago sushi!

Images © SoraNews24
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