Experience the life cycle of eels firsthand.

​^In August 2023, the Association for the Protection of Eel Food Culture and Resources (commonly known as the Eel Foundation) conducted an outreach lesson for elementary school students.

*The Eel Foundation is a general incorporated foundation established primarily by Zensho with the aim of preserving Japan's eel food culture and conserving eel resources. In addition to projects related to the preservation of eel habitats and resource conservation, it also conducts outreach programs about eels.

The Eel Foundation received a request from the Edogawa Ward Children's Future Center, which holds courses for elementary school students in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, to "give a lecture to children about fish ecology and the mysteries of eels, coinciding with the Day of the Ox in summer," and carried out this outreach lesson.

The theme of this lesson was "The Mysteries of Eels That Travel Between the Sea and Rivers." The lesson began with an explanation of the body structures of fish that live in the sea, fish that live in rivers, and eels that travel between both.

The children recreated the phenomenon known as "saltwater wedge," which occurs near river mouths where saltwater and freshwater mix, using colored water. By observing how saltwater and freshwater separate, they deepened their understanding of rivers where fish live.

After hearing explanations of eel dishes from various countries and the reasons why people eat eel in the hot summer, it was time for the much-anticipated tasting! We actually ate eel from "Sukiya" and savored the taste of "unagi no kabayaki," a dish traditionally enjoyed in Japan.

After the tasting, we deepened our knowledge of eel ecology, something we rarely have the opportunity to learn about before, through experiences such as directly touching live eels and observing specimens of the leptocephalus stage, which is the growth process of eels until they become adults.

Elementary school students who participated in the lesson commented, "Now that I understand how eels live, they taste even better."

The Eel Foundation will continue its activities to pass on the culture of eating eels to future generations.