I visited with my friend's child (0 years old). They showed us to the tatami room on the 2nd floor, and since there were no other customers at that time, they even closed the fusuma for us, so we could relax at our leisure. The shoji are at a height a child can reach, so those with mischievous little ones might need to be a bit careful. The place was clean, and the owner and his wife were very pleasant. For food, I ordered the Kawano set meal. The sashimi was very fresh, and the side dishes — the simmered dish, pickles, and mackerel simmered in miso — were all sooo delicious! It felt like a grown-up lunch. I'd love to visit again. I had a wonderful time reuniting with a friend after a long while! Thank you very much!

Kappo Kawano, well known among older gourmets in Hachioji. These days it's hardly talked about online and has become something of a hidden gem, but it was a famous restaurant at the forefront of its time — the first in the Santama area to install a live fish tank in-store and start serving fresh seafood, and, by one account, the first in Tokyo to serve local sake. Because it's cheap and delicious, it was also somewhat famous as a regular haunt of the great Saburo Kitajima. On the other hand, for me as a youngster it was a hard place to step into, but this time I finally visited for the first time for a weekday lunch. Considering the quality and value, I expected it to be busier, but it was surprisingly empty. Basically the owner does all the cooking himself, carefully, so I think the reason is that it's not suited to a lunch break during work when you're pressed for time. If anything, there's no other reason (^_-) Weekday lunch is quite the hidden spot. I ordered the Kawano set meal bearing the restaurant's name (1800 yen). It used to be cheaper, but with prices rising these days it's gotten a bit pricier. The set includes the famous extra-large ara-jiru, a five-kind sashimi platter, and several obanzai, giving satisfaction beyond the price. I think this restaurant's true strength is its evening courses, so next time I'd like to visit at night, perhaps inviting my parents.

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I wanted to have lunch with a friend around Nishi-Hachioji Station and went to "Someno", but they weren't open for lunch. Walking around nearby looking for somewhere, I found a nice-looking place. I immediately called to reserve and went. It was a total jackpot. We ordered the extra-large eel set meal, whelk sashimi, and an assorted sashimi platter. In the back there are lots of live fish tanks. The owner grabbed an eel and said, "I'm going to fillet this now"! Wow, amazing, but will it take a while? I thought… but while we were enjoying the sashimi and draft beer🍺, out came the unaju topped with a giant eel‼️ It was very thick and fresh, so it was fluffy and soft and delicious. A real jackpot of a place. Both the owner and the proprietress were very pleasant. Cheap, fast, and delicious I want to visit again. In the tanks in the back there were lots of oysters, surf clams, whelks, kuruma prawns, sea bream, eels and more.

+2

The eel was a live one from the tank, filleted on the spot and served grilled only, without steaming. It was very fluffy and delicious. The assorted sashimi was also impeccably fresh and tasty😋 As for seasoning, everyone perceives it differently, but the chawanmushi and the clear soup were on the strong side.

I wanted to eat eel, so I asked a local and gave this place a try. Nishi-Hachioji's specialty, the Wild Unaju. You can go in for lunch from around 11. The highlight was that they showed me the live eel before filleting it. The owner seems gruff, but he's really funny. The "Tokujo Unaju" is 4,500 yen and comes with an extra-large kimosui. The freshly filleted eel is grilled crisp, fragrant and delicious. Probably not steamed. The flesh is juicy and fatty. It's a flavor you rarely get in the Kanto region, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Like all eel restaurants, it takes about 30 minutes from ordering to serving, so go when you have time to spare.

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