A well-cooked serving of eel kabayaki sells for as much as ¥5,000 (about $250) at a fancy food kiosk in Tokyo's Ginza, a price that can be considered very expensive.
The root of the crisis lies in the eel's unique life cycle - born near the Mariana Trench, migrating thousands of miles to freshwater rivers, and then returning to the deep sea to spawn at maturity, the complex ecological habits of the eel have kept artificial reproduction technology in the laboratory stage. With a life cycle of sea birth, freshwater growth, and return to the deep sea for spawning, artificial propagation technology has so far failed to be commercialised. Farmers have to rely on wild fry, and overfishing and the deterioration of the marine ecosystem have left the catch of Japanese eel fry at 0.1 per cent of its 1960 peak, and the species has been placed on the Red List of Threatened Species.
The high price of unagi rice also stems from the complex processing techniques. Unagi is handled by specialised craftsmen who use special knives to accurately remove bones and thorns from the slippery fish; when skewering, 3-6 bamboo skewers are placed in the shape of a 'kawakawa' through the unagi to ensure even heat when grilled. The process of kamaboko is even more delicate, first steaming and then slow-roasting over long charcoal, repeatedly brushing on the secret sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, etc., repeating at least five times, taking more than 40 minutes, and the sauce recipe is often a centuries-old secret of the family.
Cultural marketing adds fuel to the eel rice premium. 'What began as a marketing ploy for eel merchants in the Edo period has evolved into a practice that continues to this day, with eel consumption accounting for 40 per cent of the year's consumption during the summer months. Michelin star ratings and social media have made old-fashioned unagi rice a 'Netflix delicacy' and prices have gone up.
If you want to try making your own eel rice, try our unagi kabayaki frozen, kabayaki unagi tastes delicious too.