Kawatoyo Restaurant - Narita, Japan

A clean break away from steak and right into another country, Narita is a quaint little town which largest feature is the airport right smack in the middle. Otherwise, it is famous for one regional speciality, and that is unagi, or eel. It is perhaps unsurprising that his city in itself like so many other Japanese cities would have it's own unique characteristics as well as local specialities.

A walk down the alleyway lined with shops and restaurants would take you to the temple, and past the temple is what I would like to call the "Unagi" district. There is this one shop in which no visit to Narita would be complete without. The decor is simple and traditional enough: wooden panels with bamboo mats and highly polished wooden tables. There is no English name to this restaurant though. The name of the restaurant comprises of two Japanese Kanji characters proudly displayed above the shop front.



Right in front, you can see their chefs preparing live eel. This is not for the squeamish but obviously in Japan where quality and freshness are of paramount importance, this is certainly a display to reassure their regulars and the tourist that they are serving up nothing but the freshest produce.

The crowd is a lot smaller in weekdays so that would be your best bet to go for a meal. If you happen to be there on a weekend it would certainly be far more crowded, with snaking lines both for lunch and dinner, with the dinner rush starting as early as 4pm. The crowd is predominantly Japanese with the odd foreigner lucky enough to know the existence of the place. After being sat down by a beaming hostess, you'd be asked to order. At this place, there is one option and a couple of variations in what is a speciality restaurant. There is simply no other reason to order anything else though.



Served in it's lacquered box on a bed of the most fragrant Japanese rice available, the eel was grilled to perfection. WARNING: After you taste this, Unagi Don would never taste the same. It is simply brilliant. Accompanied by the free flow of hot ocha or Japanese Green Tea, it is a true Japanese dining experience. The service is ever smiling, ever polite and ever accommodating despite the language barrier. After you're done, in the true tradition of Japanese efficiency, there is no hanging about when there is a crowd waiting to be seated. You're up, shuffled out, and profusely thanked upon your exit. Smile and bow. You don't want to be the odd gai-jin out.