Protected local food
Lake Hamanako Unagi
浜名湖うなぎ
Lake Hamanako in Shizuoka is where eel farming in Japan began, and its unagi is prized for rich fat and a soft, plump texture.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 10 July 2026
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 浜名湖うなぎ
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 静岡県浜松市、湖西市
Where eel farming began
Google Maps 浜名湖 (opens in a new tab), in Hamamatsu and Kosai in Shizuoka, is a brackish lake where young glass eels were once plentiful. The climate is warm and clean groundwater is easy to get. Farmers here succeeded in raising eels around 1900, and in 1971 developed heated farming, which helped the eels grow faster and stay healthy.
Lake Hamanako Unagi sells for more than ordinary eel. It is so well known that people say Hamanako simply means eel.
Good to know
- Try bokumeshi, a simple eel rice that began as the eel farmers' staff meal and became a local dish.
- Unagi is usually grilled kabayaki-style with a sweet soy glaze and served over rice as unaju or unadon.
Questions travellers ask
Why is Hamanako famous for eel?
It is known as the birthplace of eel farming in Japan: farmers first raised eels here in the Meiji era, and the lake grew into a major eel-farming area.
What is bokumeshi?
A local eel rice dish that started as the meal eel farmers made for their workers.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.