A VIP was coming from afar, so we decided to have a meal in Nakano after a long time. If it's in Nakano, there's no choice but to ask Nakano Master for guidance. Over the years, we have had many meal meetings in Nakano, and Nakano Master arranged a special restaurant for us this time. That was Kawajiro, which appeared in the manga "Oishinbo". Kawajiro is a famous old eel skewer restaurant in a back alley near Nakano North Exit. In "Oishinbo," not only grilled eel but all parts of the eel were discussed. Nakano Master made a reservation for 5 people at this restaurant, and we were guided to the second floor. The second floor of this restaurant was also amazing, with a space of about 4.5 tatami mats like a Showa-era apartment, an old kitchen, a refrigerator with chilled bottled beer, sake, shochu, and wine, and a system where you can help yourself to drinks. ※ You can wash your glass in the kitchen yourself. ※ Alcohol is settled based on what you consume. Now, eel skewers were served one after another. First, liver, fin, head, and wrapped skewers appeared. The sauce was not too strong and light, so you could taste the flavor of the eel well. I have had eel skewers at other restaurants before, but they were tough and the sauce was too strong. This restaurant had a plump and delicious finish. The wrapped skewers also had burdock wrapped around them, making the dish complete. Eel meat was also served on skewers, but it came out as white-grilled and you could enjoy it with garlic soy sauce and wasabi soy sauce. Delicious... It was different from any eel dish I had eaten before. I started with bottled beer, but then I had Hikitsugi, a local sake. It matched the eel so well that I ended up drinking too much. The atmosphere also made the experience incredibly luxurious. It was a wonderful restaurant unique to Nakano.

I decided to go out for drinks and dinner in Nakano on the first day of the long weekend. I found a restaurant with available seats, and quickly entered. I was confused by the system, but ended up enjoying dishes like Hachiman-maki, liver, liver sashimi, and bara-kushi maki.

Mr. Kawajiro from Nakano! Thank you, Tabelog, it's been 13 years since I last visited! This place is usually crowded during peak hours, so I decided to visit this eel skewer restaurant to indulge in some delicious eel dishes! Located in a back alley of Nakano's drinking district, this restaurant has a long history and was even featured in the famous manga "Oishinbo" (Volume 80). In the past, it used to be frequented mostly by older men, but now there are also women enjoying the atmosphere. The variety of alcohol is not extensive, and you usually order a set, but it's a fun place to try different types of eel dishes other than just eel kabayaki!

Nakano's Kawajiro-san is a must-visit restaurant where Kawase-san from Ogikubo trained. I heard about it and had to go. The system is to order a set of 5 skewers first. They grill them right in front of you, so you can eat them right away. Each skewer is perfectly cooked and delicious. The ones with leeks and burdock were especially tasty. #Kawajiro #eel #eelKawajiro #eel skewers #5 skewer set #famous restaurant #high rating on Tabelog #casual drinking #bar hopping #foodie adventures #Nakano gourmet #Nakano drinking area

In the 3rd stop of the Nakano tour in July 2023, I originally planned to go to the 2nd place, but it was full at that time, so luckily I got into the 3rd place. Starting with a cup of sake at the 3rd stop. Of course, my memory is vague. They serve eel skewers in a set of 4 or 5 types per serving. Looking at the photos and trying to recall, I believe they included liver, grilled, fin, and kuri kara (eel liver) skewers. Eating freshly grilled skewers right in front of you. They were all delicious eels with perfect grilling and no fishy taste. The atmosphere of the restaurant was also nice, and I would definitely like to visit this place again.

A specialty eel restaurant located in a drinking district near Nakano Broadway, known for serving delicious eel skewers. The restaurant was featured in the manga "Oishinbo." The friendly female staff provide attentive service, creating a warm atmosphere for the customers. The set menu includes 5 skewers per person, consisting of liver, fin, collar, wrapped skewer, and rolled skewer. The grilling of the skewers is excellent. It is recommended to order both the fin skewer with leeks and the fin skewer with lotus root if you plan to add more skewers. The restaurant was already full before 7 pm on a Friday, so it is advisable to make a reservation for groups of 4 or more. If you don't have a reservation, it is best to arrive early.

I've wanted to visit this restaurant for a long time. It's been almost 20 years since I first heard about it, but due to difficulties in making a reservation, I never had the chance to go until now. The location is near the entrance of Nakano Broadway, about a 5-minute walk from Nakano Station. I've been to many famous eel skewer restaurants in Tokyo, but this one is truly amazing! I ordered a variety of skewers, including vegetable skewers and some unique menu items like tail skewers, and they were all delicious. I enjoyed a Kinmiya shochu with soda and lemon while chatting with the staff, making it a fun experience. Each skewer had its own unique quality, but the eel roll and eel fin skewers with leeks were particularly outstanding! The kitchen was run by a female owner and two female staff members. This eel skewer restaurant truly lived up to its reputation as a top-notch establishment!

We couldn't make a reservation over the phone, so we lined up with four people before the opening time of 5 PM. As soon as they opened, we got seated at a table in the back and were served a delicious cabbage pickle. I've had eel rice bowls at this restaurant before, but this was my first time trying their skewers. We each got four skewers as part of the chef's choice set, and we enjoyed them with bottled beer.

Today is Friday. I decided to stroll around Nakano and eat something before heading home on "Hana Friday". I remembered a famous eel restaurant and decided to enter. Managed to secure a seat and ordered a bottle of beer. The order automatically comes with a set of 5 skewers. The eel skewers, which I don't usually eat, were all delicious and grilled to perfection. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very Showa era-like and pleasant. However, the service from the staff was a bit questionable. Thank you for the meal.

I finally visited a famous restaurant that was featured in Oishinbo, which I always knew about but never had the chance to visit due to the long lines and early closing time. I went with a colleague from work and was amazed by the various delicious parts of eel that were available. It was a blissful and enjoyable time. Especially the skewers with garlic soy sauce, eel tail, liver, collar, and lotus root-wrapped skewers were all delicious. Whether you love eel or not, I highly recommend visiting this renowned restaurant that lives up to its reputation.

The skewer restaurant specializing in various parts of eel was great! The place was bustling with regular customers, making it very cozy. We ordered the 8-piece eel omakase course and a few other dishes. The rare onigiri was also delicious. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere at the counter.

"Kawanijiro" is a famous eel skewer restaurant. They specialize in eel skewers and offer rare and high-quality options. Featured in the popular gourmet manga "Oishinbo". The skewers come in a set of 5 and additional skewers can be ordered. They are grilled carefully over charcoal right in front of you. All skewers are grilled without steaming. A cabbage pickled in soy sauce is served as a complimentary dish. The skewers were all juicy and delicious, with the standout being the Hachiman-yaki, a skewer with eel wrapped in burdock. It was a bit disappointing that there was no liver. The ginkgo and shiitake skewers were also delicious. The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant feels like stepping back in time to the Showa era. The close seating arrangement adds to the experience. - Restaurant Name: Kawanijiro - Google Maps: [link] - Nearest Station: 5-minute walk from Nakano Station (JR Chuo Line, Tokyo Metro Tozai Line) - Opening Hours: 17:00-21:00 - Closed on Sundays - Reservations not accepted - Seating: 13 seats (1st floor: 9 counter seats, 4 table seats, 2nd floor: 8 table seats for reservations) - Budget: ¥3000-¥3999 - Other Information: No private rooms, all seats non-smoking, no parking (paid parking nearby at Nakano Broadway for 35 cars), not available for private parties - Hashtags: #NakanoGourmet #NakanoDinner #Kawanijiro #Eel #Unagi #DeliciousEel #Foodies #Foodstagram #Gurunavi #FoodPorn #FoodBlogger #Foodie #FoodTravel #DeliciousFood #FoodLovers #GourmetClub #FoodiesOfInstagram #KantoGourmet #FoodReview #FoodWriter #BGradeGourmet #TokyoFood

It's a bit hard to get in because it's crowded with regular customers. The interior has about 10 counter seats and one booth for four people, giving off a nice atmosphere similar to an eel skewer restaurant. The lady grilling the skewers may seem tough at first, but she's actually very nice. She even gave us some firefly squid as a service. The eel skewers were amazing, and I wanted to try all the different kinds, but some were sold out. I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again! Cheers.

I had a set meal plus extra skewers. Everything was delicious, but I was like, "this is good enough" as I ate. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the last item in the set, the Hachiman roll. It was incredibly tasty with the combination of burdock root and eel. Honestly, the skewers with fatty parts were a bit too heavy for me, but I was satisfied after eating this. I wish I could order freely though.

It was a long time since our last meetup. Even though the pandemic situation has calmed down, we decided to have a small gathering first. This time, we chose the usual Nakano area, and our veteran member kindly selected the restaurant, which was Kawajiro. It was located in a small alley-like place before reaching the Seiyu supermarket near Nakano Station North Exit. We started at 7 pm with 5 people, and we were guided to the second floor where there was a private room with facilities. The unique system allowed us to take drinks from the fridge and settle the bill later. We started with Kirin Lager and Kirin Lemon for a toast. The appetizer was pickled cabbage. The eel skewers were available in 5 varieties, and we ordered them all to be served one by one. As we hydrated with beer, the skewers arrived. It was my first time trying eel skewers, and the liver was absolutely delicious. It paired well with sake. The fin rolls had a nice fatty texture, perfect with beer. After probably each of us had a beer, we shifted to sake. We opened a 1.8L bottle of Ooyama Honjozo from Yamagata, and after finishing our beers, we washed the glasses in the kitchen. Even those who usually don't like fish skin had no problem eating the eel skewer skins. From there, it was full-on sake mode. We reminisced about a big party over 10 years ago in Asakusabashi (also known as the Nishiguchi Yakiton Incident), where I ordered a 1.8L bottle of sake, and we all started drinking it like crazy. This memory made me a bit more sober. After enjoying a variety of eel skewers, including ginnan and shiitake mushrooms, which reminded us of our age, we added some more skewers. We found out that the restaurant had a last order at 8:30 pm, so we decided to wrap up the first part of our gathering. It was a fantastic experience to relax in the private room. The atmosphere at the counter on the first floor was also cool. We would definitely like to visit this place again.

Since the days when I used to wander around eating eel, every time I come to Nakano, I just can't avoid going to Kawajiro. They were closed for a while, and they don't serve during the day, always full of regular customers at night. But it's okay, this place is like a landmark that you can't miss when you come this far. Now it's run by the daughter, and I couldn't get in a few times, so I ended up going to Ajinoji (famous for the second owner of Kawajiro, yes, that restaurant from Oishinbo) for grilled skewers - short skewers, Hachiman-yaki, liver skewers, neck skewers - with eel smoked at night only. I enjoyed the grilled skewers and grilled eel, but I still felt like I had to go to Kawajiro. Today, as the second stop, before 8 o'clock... there were customers, but seats at the counter were available. "Please come in," I wonder if it was the daughter... There was also another older sister, and the two of them, along with a regular single customer and a regular group, it was crowded. I ordered a bottle of beer and a set of 5 skewers Liver skewers - the full version with liver and liver skewers included Hiramaki - the base of the fin is often moved well and is said to be delicious Erimaki - quite meaty and truly the essence of eel skewers Kushi-maki - it's just eel skewers Hachiman-maki - skewered burdock root of Hachiman-maki, easy to eat but with that good texture of Hachiman-maki Smoked grilled white grilled - they also do it only at night, the one I couldn't eat but... Short skewers are cut horizontally, skewers are cut vertically, and bara is rib meat. Liver skewers are liver.

I have started a gourmet website for Mitomi Emon. Homepage "https://blog.33inc.jp/" Instagram "@mitomi_emon" From the north exit of Nakano Station, pass through Sun Mall arcade, turn right at Nakano Broadway. You will come across Nakano Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street, which exudes a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere like a movie set. Various shops such as Chinese, yakitori, soba, and chanko are crowded around a small square. Each shop seamlessly blends into the nostalgic scenery. One of them is "Kawanijiro," the destination for today. It is an eel izakaya where the counter is the main focus. Instead of eel rice bowls or eel don, eel skewers are the main menu item. Regular customers enjoy skewers with their drinks, creating a nostalgic scene from the Showa era. The shop was established in 1968, with the second generation now running "Ajizai" independently, and the third generation running "Kurikara" independently. The current fourth-generation female owner is actively working as a grill master. By the way, she is the daughter of the second-generation owner. While many eel shops discard parts like bones, they are used in their menu. A symbolic dish is the "karashi umu," bone tempura. Enjoy the crispy bones seasoned with plenty of salt and pair it with a drink. Another specialty is the "hireyaki," where the fin part of the eel is used. It is wrapped with leeks and pork belly, creating a perfect match of flavors with eel and leeks complementing each other well. The shop was featured in "Oishinbo" during the second-generation era, with Yamaoka also loving this dish. Other skewers include "kimo yaki" with a strong bitterness, "eri yaki" with salt, "kushi maki" with a soft and chewy texture, and "hachiman maki" with a satisfying texture. If you crave carbs, try the "unagi onigiri" instead of eel rice bowls. The eel and the sauce make it irresistible. You can also take it to go! Thank you for the feast.

Today is the day for my favorite eel drinking party. I finally went to Kawajiro in Nakano, a famous long-established restaurant that opened in 1968 and was featured in the manga "Oishinbo". There is a sister restaurant called Ajitsuki nearby. It was already packed even though it was right after opening on Saturday. The first floor only has a counter, and there seems to be a second floor as well. It was quite crowded. There were two female staff members. You have to order a set of skewers per person. They start grilling without you having to say anything. Additional orders are possible from the beginning. The menu consists of eel skewers and grilled vegetables. There are also eel rice balls and scallops, among other items. They grilled everything right in front of you, and it seems like they grilled everything on a charcoal grill. They grilled everything thoroughly from raw. The grill is small, so it takes quite a bit of time. Of course, it's charcoal-grilled. The ordered items were as follows: - Appetizer x2 100 yen each - One serving (set) x2 1600 yen each Liver, fin, collar, skewer, rolled eel - Calci-um 400 yen - Beer medium bottle x2 650 yen each - Tansaku 400 yen x2 Garlic soy sauce, sudachi soy sauce, wasabi soy sauce, you can choose from three flavors. This time, I chose the recommended garlic soy sauce. - Leba-yaki 300 yen - Bara-yaki 300 yen - Ohihira-yaki 250 yen - Ginnan 250 yen The appetizer was cabbage. They grilled everything carefully and thoroughly on charcoal. So it took about an hour for everything to come out. The outside was crispy, and the inside was slightly rare and juicy. It had a nice fragrant taste. The sauce was a strong soy sauce-based Edo-style sauce. This time, I had all the eel skewers. Each skewer had a decent amount of volume. The liver, skewer, and collar were particularly memorable. The liver skewer was especially delicious. On the other hand, the tansaku, ohihira, and bara seemed to lack some flavor. I also felt a slight fishy smell. I left around 18:10 for the first round. Around 18:30, there was quite a bit of room, so aiming for this time for the second round might be a good idea. It seemed like there were many regular customers, but there seemed to be a slight difference in service between regulars and newcomers. Thank you for the meal!

Arrived at 4:59 pm on Saturday, limited to 3 groups of 5 people each. The appetizer is cabbage pickles for 100 yen per set (5 pieces). Set menu includes liver skewers, fin skewers, collar skewers, skewers, and Yawata-maki fin skewers with leek rolls. Yawata-maki is burdock rolls. Yawata-maki is 400 yen and the rest are 300 yen each. Additional beer (medium bottle) is 650 yen, Karashi-um (fried bones) is 400 yen, and Tanzaku (skewers) is 400 yen (2 pieces for 800 yen per person). You can choose garlic soy sauce, sudachi soy sauce, or wasabi soy sauce. It takes about 1 hour for one set to arrive. The second floor is for regular customers. No photography allowed inside. The owner seems a bit difficult. The skewers are delicious, but it may not be the most comfortable place to hang out.

The eel was surprisingly delicious, I've always liked it but felt limited to just having it as unadon or hitsumabushi. Eating it on skewers was a new and enjoyable experience! I arrived at the restaurant at 4:45 and there was no one there yet, but soon a line formed. I was happy to be the first one in! The sake went down too easily and the five skewers I ordered were amazing, especially the ginnan and onigiri. I can't wait to come back and line up again!