Not so many years ago, unagi, the humble freshwater eel, was considered a plebeian pleasure ¡ª a delicacy fit for Tokyo¡¯s townsfolk rather than rarefied levels of society. Much has changed. This once-lowly fish now commands high-end prices worthy of even the most upscale parts of town. This meant that few eyebrows were raised when a branch of Fujita opened in the well-heeled Shirokanedai neighborhood.
It fits perfectly. Fujita is a venerable °ù²â¨³Ù±ð¾± (traditional high-class restaurant) based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan¡¯s de facto unagi capital, thanks to the eel farms in nearby Lake Hamanako. The restaurant already has a branch in western Tokyo; now it has arrived in the center of the city.
Occupying the third floor of a new building overlooking Shirokanedai¡¯s main boulevard, Gaien-Nishi-dori (a.k.a. ¡°Platinum Avenue¡°), Fujita exudes quiet refinement. From the snow-white noren curtain at the entrance to the soft soundtrack of koto music and the?okami?(proprietor) who pads around in kimonoed finery, all is soothingly elegant.
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