Luxurious hand-rolled sushi rolls filled with conger eel available at Nihonbashi Tamai, a specialty eel store in Nihonbashi.

A souvenir found at Nihonbashi Tamai, a restaurant specializing in natural conger eel, is a luxurious conger eel futomaki.

A powerful piece of fragrantly grilled conger eel topped with rice, it is a perfect souvenir for family members or loved ones you don’t care about. When I happened to pass by, Nihonbashi Tamai was at the end of the line. I decided that the next time I went back home, I would buy a “souvenir” from Tamai.

Tamai is an Edomae conger eel box sushi restaurant established in 2005 by a group of skilled Edomae sushi chefs. All conger eel is purchased in season from natural sources. The famous Hakomeshi can be either “boiled” or “grilled,” and there is also a “Ai-no-se” option that allows you to enjoy both.

I’d like to try the “Ai-no-se”!

Souvenirs can be reserved. The thoughtfulness of having freshly prepared items ready for you at the time of your reservation is delightful. When I went to pick up my order right after the store opened, there was a long line of people enjoying Hakome-meshi inside the store.

The popularity of the area is evident in the sight of travelers with suitcases in their hands.

Reservations can only be made at night, so I was a little scared of the looks I got from people as I walked into the restaurant without waiting in line… lol.

The souvenirs included “futomaki rolls filled with conger eel,” “anago chirashi,” “pressed sushi with conger eel,” and a variety of “boxed rice”. Since it was a gift for my parents, I chose the futomaki, which is easy to share and looks gorgeous.

The wrapping paper is heavy with a warm touch depicting the elegant Nihonbashi main store.

Open the bamboo skin and you will find a whole conger eel. This is gorgeous!

The thick roll is filled with ingredients such as fried egg, cucumber, shiitake mushrooms, gobo (burdock root), kanpyo (dried gourd), and tobiko (dried bean curd).

Each is carefully seasoned, with the finely sliced burdock root making a good presence among them. Nori is inside the rice.

Each slice is so large that it is difficult to take just one bite, but no matter where you eat it, you will feel a harmonious taste spreading in your mouth.

The thick rolls are cut into six pieces, and even one is quite large.

The flavor is more pronounced when the sauce is poured over it, and it tastes even better with wasabi (Japanese horseradish) on the side.

The rice, cooked a little firmer, is also exquisite, and it firmly holds the fluffy conger eel and textured ingredients.

It comes with a set of chopsticks, and at first I wondered if I would be able to eat this amount by myself. At first, I wondered if I would be able to eat this amount by myself.

My parents were happy and so was I. Next time I will go to line up for a box meal!