I visited this place almost immediately after it opened. In Tokyo, it's all about grilled eel, but when you come to Fukuoka, it's all about steamed eel. So today, I had the steamed eel. It has more bounce and is more satisfying than grilled eel. The slightly sweet shredded egg is also good. I like fluffy eel, but firm steamed eel is also good. I sometimes order it to be delivered, but it's completely different from refrigerated eel. The taste that you can never have at home. I enjoyed it with a hot beer. That's the right answer. Thank you for the delicious meal.

The Saylou steamed eel dish had the sauce soaked into the rice thoroughly, which was a bit heavy at first but became more delicious as I continued eating. However, the eel itself was slightly overcooked in some parts, which was disappointing. It seemed like only two older women were working there, and they only reheated the dish, which was a letdown for a well-known restaurant. No wonder the nearby restaurant (Wakaxya) was more crowded.

Specialty steamed eel. 5200 yen. Delicious. The eel and rice are both fluffy and hot, making it enjoyable from start to finish. Kyushu always delivers. The sauce is slightly sweet, which adds to the deliciousness. I couldn't decide between the main store and this one, but I chose this one because you can enjoy your meal while watching the boats go down the river from the window. The smell and smoke from the grill on the street below is irresistible. ♪

Steamed eel for 3,850 yen (they've raised the price again). The main branch is a famous eel restaurant. I thought I had conquered all the branches, including this one, but then I found out there was a branch in Fukuoka Iwataya! There were hardly any Korean customers, so we were able to easily get a table. In the past, there used to be a wait of a few hours, but when we visited at lunchtime, we had the place to ourselves. You can see boats going down the river from the window. Normally, it can take over 30 minutes to get your food, but ours came out in about 5 minutes! The eel is cooked by steaming it after laying it on a bed of rice mixed with sauce. I've lived in Tokyo for a long time, so I'm a fan of grilling after steaming, but I think the non-steamed grilling method is also good. I actually wanted to have the eel over rice, but steamed eel is famous in Yanagawa, so we enjoyed that instead.

Just before reaching the goal point of a 70-minute river cruise, a pleasant aroma fills the air. A building with the words "Honkichiya" on it, resembling a renovated old warehouse. We couldn't leave without trying the famous Yanagawa dish "eel steamed in a bamboo basket" here... That's how we felt as we visited. The restaurant, with a long and narrow layout along the river, offers seats where you can enjoy the view of the river. A boat passes by right next to us, carrying passengers downstream. I watch the scene, reminiscing about being on that side just a while ago. When you order the "steamed eel set meal," it comes with a side of pickled vegetables. The freshly grilled thick slices of eel are delicious. If you don't plan on driving afterwards, I recommend having it with some sake or beer. Looking into the kitchen from the dining area, you can see steam rising. Eel restaurants are said to lure customers with the smoke and aroma of grilling eel, but in Yanagawa, I realize that even steam can attract customers. I'm impressed by the eel packed tightly in the bamboo steamer without any gaps. The "special steamed eel set meal" also includes pickled vegetables, eel liver sashimi, and pickles. The eel covers the rice so densely that you can't see it underneath, probably a whole eel in there. While grilled eel is tempting, the charm of steamed eel lies in being able to eat the rice soaked in sauce. And there's a surprise in the "special" steamed eel! There's eel hidden inside the rice, allowing you to thoroughly enjoy the fluffy eel. With eel pickled vegetables, eel liver sashimi, and a generous portion of eel on top of steamed eel, this may be a bit luxurious for lunch, but I believe it's worth it. Enjoy the city of Yanagawa by boat and savor Yanagawa with natural eel. Just a 50-minute train ride from Fukuoka city, you can easily have a great time. Definitely give it a try!

Specialty dish for 3800 yen (excluding tax). The skin is not just fragrant, but bitter! There are parts that have a bitter taste, and the thickness of the meat is surprising. The sauce is not too sweet, which might appeal to those from outside the prefecture. Although I am from the city, I don't think I will visit this place again.

Looking for eel, we headed to Yanagawa. "Honkiya" Eel Drive to Yanagawa with my child who is back home for a while - we went to the Honkiya store in Okibata, a bit cliché but still a must-visit. I have visited several times in the past, but this is my first visit since starting my blog. The prices have gone up quite a bit compared to several decades ago... Anyway, we started with the steamed eel (3500 yen), which was fluffy and delicious with a great sauce. My child had the eel bowl (2900 yen) and loved the liver sucking. I had the grilled eel (2500 yen) with a cold beer. The grilled eel was crispy and fragrant, perfect with wasabi and soy sauce. Outside the window, we could see boats for river cruises - it was a happy holiday. Thank you for the meal~ ● Shop Information Honkiya 0944-72-9070 Yanagawa City, Okibata-cho 12 Business hours: 10:30-19:30 Closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month.

During our honeymoon trip, we visited the "Motoyoshiya Okihana Branch" in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture (^O^)/ The restaurant is located about a 3-minute walk from the disembarkation point for the Yanagawa river cruise, which we visited as tourists. Yanagawa's eel is famous, so we were looking forward to it. Inside the restaurant, we had to take off our shoes at the entrance and then sat in tatami seating only. Sitting by the window, we could see the Yanagawa river cruise in action. I ordered the steamed eel set meal, and the eel was fluffy and cooked just right, with a delicious sweet sauce that paired well with it (*≧∀≦*) The soup was light and had a gentle flavor. Fukuoka Prefecture is far away, so it's not easy to visit often, but if we have the chance to come back, we would definitely want to visit again. We had a lovely encounter with Yanagawa's eel in Fukuoka Prefecture, so I decided to feature it as the cover photo on my profile (^^)

Four of us went to the restaurant on a holiday at 11 am when it opened, but all 8 seats were already taken. Most customers ordered the steamed eel, which took about 30 minutes to arrive. After waiting for about an hour, we were finally able to get a table. We ordered the steamed eel for ¥3,500. The eel was tender and the secret sauce had soaked in well. The steamed rice, cooked in the same way, also had the secret sauce soaked in nicely. The taste of the steamed eel was excellent, but the price increase due to the rarity of the eel was a bit disappointing.

During a family trip, we visited a long-established eel restaurant in Yanagawa. The restaurant extends out towards the river, so from the second floor seats on the river side, you can see boats going downstream. We avoided peak times on the holiday and were able to enter without waiting. We ordered the steamed eel in a steamer. The eel was tender and flavorful, with a gentle and fluffy texture. The sticky rice soaked in sauce was also delicious. It was a heartwarming experience enjoying the taste of a true long-established restaurant with my family. We are grateful to the restaurant. Thank you for the meal. We will definitely come back again.

The weather was nice and there were more tourists in Yanagawa than I expected. When you think of Yanagawa, you think of eel! You can see the shops from the boat ride. I went to the long-established Honyoshiya. I was able to enter without waiting. I ordered the special seiro. It was fluffy and piping hot. The eel was also tender! The seasoning is on the strong side in my opinion. The pickled vegetables were also delicious! When we left the restaurant, there was a long line outside!

Steamed dim sum for 4,500 yen. It was delicious but a bit expensive. During the weekday daytime, almost all customers were foreigners. Is that the target customer base?

The high prices at Wakamatsuya seemed to be causing them to lose customers, but now I understand why. The reason is not the taste, not the prices, not the unbelievable fact that the toilet is in a separate building, but the most important aspect of the service industry is lacking. The taste hasn't declined, but everything is ruined by the attitude of the staff, as if saying "calculate your own bill." I will never go there again.

After a long time, I visited the water village of Yanagawa. Once again, I took a boat ride on a donko boat to tour the water village. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the only customer on the boat that could fit over 20 people, so the 75-minute journey through the water village became a one-on-one trip with the boatman. After enjoying a pleasant conversation with the boatman in the rain-soaked water village, I eagerly tried the highly anticipated "unagi seiro steamed dish". Despite popular restaurants being closed, I managed to slip into the pond-side branch of the long-established Honkichiya just before the end of lunchtime. I ordered the special seiro steamed dish for 4,300 yen. Before long, the majestic seiro steamed dish, accompanied by liver, made its grand entrance. As soon as I took a bite, it was scorching hot! Each grain of rice retained its heat to the core, making it impossible to taste anything on the first bite. Contrary to expectations, the eel did not have a fluffy texture, nor did it have a crispy texture from being steamed. The rice had no white parts and was entirely dyed in the dark color of the sauce, shining black. However, as I continued eating, I realized that despite the initial impression of "excessive sauce", the traditional flavor was carefully put together. Eating the seiro steamed dish while gazing at the narrow tributaries of the water village through the window provided a wonderful time that made me forget the busy everyday life. Personally, I realized that I prefer "unagi-don" or "hitsumabushi" over the "seiro steamed dish" when it comes to meals.

You can enjoy watching the river rafting~(●´ω｀●)ノ

I usually go to Wakamatsuya, but this time was my first visit. The grilled eel was fragrant and had a great texture, it was delicious. The steamed rice was also hot and tasty. Next time, I will challenge the main store.

On a regular Friday, heavy rain was falling in the Saga area to the point where a heavy rain warning was issued. I suddenly thought, this is the perfect time to visit Honkichiya, a place known for long queues! (laughs) I drove through the heavy rain and arrived at Honkichiya Okiba Higashiten at 11:45. I parked my car in the parking lot and entered the restaurant, finding myself as the first customer with no one else in sight. (In fact, no other customers arrived until I left, so it was practically empty the whole time.) The restaurant had a traditional style where you take off your shoes and sit on tatami mats. There were eight 4-person tables lined up along the walls. I informed them I was dining alone and sat at a table by the moat. The table had four cushions, but it felt cramped for four people. (It seemed more suitable for two people, really.) I looked at the menu placed on the table. The dishes were categorized into three main types: steamed eel, broiled eel, and eel rice bowl. Since this is Yanagawa, I decided to try the steamed eel. I asked about the difference between the "Special Steamed Eel" and the "Regular Steamed Eel," and was told that the special one has one more piece of eel on top of the rice. It cost 300 yen more, so I ordered the "Special Steamed Eel (3,800 yen, excluding tax)." In the Chikugo region, it is common for restaurants to serve eel bone senbei as a pre-meal snack, but this place did not offer such a service. The steamed eel arrived in about 5 minutes. There were four pieces of eel on top of the rice and one piece inside the rice, all covered in a shiny, sticky sauce. I tried it, and while the skin had a burnt charcoal aroma, the sauce seemed to overpower the natural taste of the eel. (I couldn't help but think of the eel I've had in Kitakyushu and Fukuoka.) I asked for some sansho pepper, which was not initially provided. The dish also came with eel liver, which was just okay. The total bill came to 4,180 yen! I couldn't help but feel it was expensive, especially with the 3,800 yen price tag in mind. The overall rating on Tabelog was 3.35 stars, but there were many reviews giving it only 3 stars. I'm not quite sure about the rating system, as taste and preferences vary among individuals. It's disappointing that despite being a branch, the restaurant did not have a restroom inside the building, requiring customers to go across the street. (It makes me wonder why they didn't consider this when opening a branch.) Honestly, I won't be revisiting this place at this price. Thank you for the meal.

Eel bowl, grilled eel.