For hot and humid summer The season for a popular fish in Kyoto, conger pikes with a breeze blowing from a river

After rainy season in June, hot and humid summer is coming to Japan.
People who don’t like to be humid feel hotter than the actual temperature.

Especially an old city, Kyoto is the hottest area;
the wind can’t blow because there is surrounded by mountains.
It’s not only hot and humid in the daytime, of course, but also in the night.

The only cool place in such Kyoto is “river”.
Even if it’s hot and humid day, a cool breeze blows around the riverside.

Around Yodogawa River in Kyoto City, there are places to sit and cool and Kawadoko dishes’ restaurants were prepared terraces on the river.

Kawadoko has been an entertainment place for people since the beginning of the Edo Period.

Then, another healing item from hot and humid Kyoto is “conger pikes”.
Conger pikes are a slender fish that is 2 meters in length, and it’s a kind of eels.

Eels are popular fish in Japan to increase stamina in the summer, but also conger pikes can recover people from tiredness.

Different from sweet seasoned eels, conger pikes are often eaten by yubiki (parboiled), shabushabu, and sushi to use its simple taste.
Its simple taste calms the heat and make us the cool.

Conger pikes are necessary for Kyoto in the summer.
During Gion Festival, any shops provide conger pike dishes.

The reason why people in Kyoto love conger pikes so much is that conger pikes were only survived fish that
carried to Kyoto from the sea when there were no trucks and refrigerators.

Inns around Mt. Hieizan, a bit far away from the central Kyoto, is able to eat marvelous conger pike’s Kawadoko dishes.

When you sit on the tatami in Kawadoko, can you feel the tatami can reduce the hot and humid more?

It’s surely a wisdom of Kyoto people to forget the summer heat.

Why don’t you enjoy seasonable conger pikes on the river with a breeze blowing?

【Source of photos】https://hyoue.com/

Tags:tatami Kyoto GionFestival Kawadoko congerpikes Eels MtHieizan