The main store in Yanagawa was fully booked, but we were able to make a reservation at the restaurant in Okawa, which is about a 10-15 minute drive away! The staff at the restaurant were kind and friendly, and they explained the difference between the special eel dish and the regular eel dish (in terms of quantity), as well as the difference between set meals and individual items (set meals come with pickled vegetables, while individual items come with pickles and soup!).

We came to Ogawa City with my wife to look for a sofa for our home. It took us nearly 2 hours from Sasebo and we arrived around 11 o'clock. We were looking for a place to have lunch when we found this restaurant. I remembered eating at this restaurant in Yanagawa before, so we decided to go there immediately. We parked our car in the restaurant's parking lot at the back and arrived at the restaurant around 11 o'clock. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were seated right away. We looked at the menu and decided to order the eel over rice. I ordered the regular size, while my wife ordered the special size. It arrived in about 10 minutes. It was piping hot and delicious. The grilled eel with the flavorful sauce soaked into the rice was amazing. We enjoyed it while savoring the pickles. We finished it all in no time. It was delicious. My wife was also satisfied. It's nice to treat ourselves occasionally, right? Thank you for the meal. We will definitely stop by again if we are in the area. See you again.

I ordered the Seiro-mushi set meal! Unagi Seiro-mushi is a specialty dish in Yanagawa City. It is made by steaming rice that is cooked firm and then sprinkling it with sauce, topping it with grilled eel, and steaming it again with kinshi tamago (shredded omelette). This way of eating has been enjoyed since the Edo period in the Yanagawa domain. The rice is fluffy and flavorful from steaming.

I don't often get to visit Okawa City, so I decided to try out a highly recommended eel restaurant, even though it was expensive. I indulged in steamed eel, grilled eel, vinegared dish, eel liver, and chawanmushi with eel. The steamed eel is very hot, so be careful not to burn yourself.

I had a job in Okawa City. I quickly finished my requirements in 3 minutes and headed for lunch. I decided to visit "Honkichiya Okawa Store," a recommended eel restaurant by a friend. The restaurant is located near the main road, National Route 208, slightly off the main road. There is a red sign along the road, so it shouldn't be hard to miss during the day. It was 11:50 when I arrived. The building had a traditional Japanese architecture that seemed to have a long history. There was a parking lot with a capacity of 14-15 cars behind the restaurant. Since it was a weekday, there were plenty of parking spaces available. When I entered the restaurant, a woman who seemed to be the proprietress greeted me. I informed her that I was dining alone, and she asked if I preferred a table near the entrance or a tatami room further inside. I chose a table seat. Upon opening the sliding door to the right near the entrance, I found a spacious room with six 4-person tables. I chose a table seat at the far end where I could see outside. I ordered the local specialty, steamed eel set meal "seiro mushi (3,080 yen, tax included)," which came with soup, tofu, and pickles. The service was quick, taking about 5 minutes. While it was nice to receive the food promptly, unlike other eel restaurants in the Chikugo area, where they usually serve eel bone senbei with tea while waiting for the meal, this restaurant did not provide such a service. Although it wasn't a big loss, I didn't feel like I gained anything either, so in that sense, it was a bit disappointing. The steamed eel was piping hot. The seasoning was on the lighter side for both the eel and rice. The homemade egg tofu helped refresh my mouth, which had been heated up by the hot food. I made sure to eat every grain of rice laid out on the bamboo steamer. When I first arrived, I thought I might have the restaurant to myself, but gradually more customers started coming in. When I left, the parking lot was almost full. It's definitely a popular spot. Honkichiya has become a well-known restaurant with its main store, Okihata store, and this Okawa store. Personally, I would recommend the Okawa store. Thank you for the meal.

Delicious. The wait is quite long, but being exposed to the eel smoke coming from the kitchen increases your appetite. The balance of eel, egg, and bowl colors is perfect. There are plenty of seats, so it feels like you can get in fairly quickly. I want to go again, but the distance is a drawback.

I love eel (*≧艸≦) My favorite restaurant in Tokyo has also raised its prices this spring... The wave of price increases seems to be hitting every industry. I visited this restaurant near Yanagawa, the Oukawa branch. I indulged in their extravagant eel feast (*≧艸≦) It also comes with a delicious mini seiro (steamed basket), although it's not shown in the photo. All of this for only 4500 yen, which is an unbelievable price in Tokyo. The warm welcome from the staff made the dining experience even more enjoyable! Thank you for the wonderful meal!＿○／|＿ ===========

Delicious flavor, wonderful aroma, and appealing appearance!! While kabayaki and hitsumabushi are good, nothing beats the familiar taste of steamed eel over rice, right? The plump eel is irresistible!! Honkiya's sauce is not too strong, making it very well-balanced in my opinion.

After the corona, I want to eat eel! I went to Okawa for the first time in a while to see furniture and because I wanted to treat my child who was visiting home to eel. When I arrived around noon, "Honkichiya" was open. It has a historical signboard. I enjoyed a beer with eel bones and used the fluffy sweet tamagoyaki as a side dish. It cost 1200 yen plus tax. For my child, I ordered an eel bowl for 2400 yen plus tax, which had a generous amount of eel and delicious sauce soaked into the rice. My partner had the classic seiro steamed eel for 2800 yen plus tax, with tasty sauce. They also offer a mini seiro for those who want a smaller portion. It was a delicious meal. Thank you for the meal~ ● Shop Information Honkichiya 0944-87-5653 Okawa City, Enokuzu 85-3 Business hours: 11:00-20:00 Closed on Mondays

Ogawa City, Original Motoyoshiya Ogawa Store "Steamed Eel in Bamboo Steamer" Established in 1681!! The originator of steamed eel in bamboo steamer! The main store of the famous eel restaurant is not far from here in Yanagawa City. They first grill the eel and then marinate it in a secret sauce before steaming it. Meanwhile, they steam only the rice that has been coated in the sauce. They place the grilled eel on top of the steamed rice and steam it again. By steaming it in a bamboo steamer, they ensure that the flavor is not lost. Having lived in Tokyo for a long time, I am familiar with the opinions of Kanto people on Kyushu's eel cooking. It is important to understand the historical background and different ways of eating eel like this. In Saga City, there is a shop with the same name that was separated a long time ago. #eel #steamedeel #Ogawa #OgawaGourmet #bamboosteamer #unagi #unagirice #unagidon #unagibento #famousstore #eelfamousstore #1681 #since1681

When it comes to eel in Yanagawa and Oga, it's usually steamed in a bamboo steamer. But this time, I decided to order the grilled eel. When it arrived, I was surprised by how big and thick the eel was, with a crispy skin and tender flesh that was just to my liking. The salt seasoning really brings out the sweetness of the eel. Eating it with wasabi soy sauce is also delicious. I wish I could have gotten a little bit of the sauce they use for grilled eel as well. The side dishes were also very luxurious. The price was satisfying and reasonable. Next time, I might just go for the steamed eel. Thank you for the delicious meal!

Today, I came to Okawa for some errands and happened to stumble upon the Honkichiya Okawa store on my way back! Unagi mode activated! This was my first time at the Honkichiya store in Okawa, and while the eel wasn't as chewy as the one I had at the Honkichiya store in Yanagawa, it was still delicious. The unagi in Yanagawa wasn't as dark as it looked, and surprisingly light in flavor. The liver dish here had a stronger taste compared to the one in Yanagawa. On a scale of 1 to 5, with Yanagawa's Honkichiya being a 5, I would rate this place a 4. The lack of charcoal smell and slightly inferior atmosphere were the only downsides. But both times I've tried Honkichiya's unagi, I've noticed that it starts to taste better the more you eat it. It's a different approach compared to Tomokatsu, but still delicious. Unagi adventures are far from over! Thank you for the meal!

It's been a while since I visited Okawa City for work. Since I was in Okawa, I decided to have eel for lunch. I love eel, but I'm not a big fan of steamed eel because it's too sweet. I chose the eel bowl for 2400 yen. While waiting for the eel with bone senbei and tea, my hunger reached its peak. The eel topped with gold-threaded egg was apparently the same as the steamed eel and had a very sweet seasoning. The texture was firm, so I prefer eel that is steamed a bit more tender.

Yanagawa's famous dish "eel steamed with noodles" was first introduced to the world in 1681 by the original Motoyoshiya. While it would have been ideal to enjoy this dish at the Motoyoshiya's branch in Okawa, this time I had to settle for vacuum-packed grilled eel at home. I usually grill it using a fish grill, but this time I tried grilling it using the Helio Water Grill. It was easy to do and turned out deliciously moist. However, I feel that grilling it with a fish grill allows for better control over the cooking. While it was not as good as eating it at the original Motoyoshiya, it was still enjoyable. I would recommend trying it at the restaurant for the full experience. Next time, I plan to visit the original Motoyoshiya to enjoy this dish properly.

Today is my son's birthday, so we're going to have delicious eel for dinner!

This is a renowned long-established restaurant that has inherited the tradition of the original Motoyoshiya from Yanagawa's main store. It has been serving delicious dishes for over 300 years since the Edo period, using a secret sauce and being the originator of seiro steaming. There is no doubt that the food is delicious.

I visited Honkichiya during a business trip to Okawa City. Luckily, a private table was available, perfect for our meeting. The three of us ordered the steamed eel, which was thick and delicious, with plenty of sauce on the rice. The rice was also hot and fluffy. There was a photo of the late Koga Masao, a native of Okawa City, displayed at the entrance of the restaurant.

The steamed special color dish is delicious.