TOKYO: Japan’s imports of eels are peaking ahead of the July 30 Day of the Ox, when many people in the country enjoy grilled eel in the belief the dish helps them cope with the summer heat. According to a Narita, Chiba Prefecture-based eel trading company, called Marukatsu, its imports of the fish increase to three times the usual level during the two weeks before the midsummer Day of the Ox. On Tuesday, some 15,000 eels, totaling 3 tons, from China and Taiwan arrived at Narita International Airport.
It became possible in November last year to finish customs procedures for the fish inside the airport, shortening the period between the import and domestic shipment by about one day. As a result, restaurants can offer eel for lunch on the day after their arrival in Japan at the fastest. This summer, the company’s eel purchase prices are some 30 percent higher than a year before, but many eels are young and their texture is believed to be soft, said Marukatsu President Koji Nishikatsu.
