A slightly belated birthday celebration and the vitality to overcome upcoming mock exams

July 5, 2026

A birthday celebration welcomed with charcoal-grilled eel

With school events and mock exams happening one after another, some time had passed without being able to do anything special, but I was finally able to celebrate my son's birthday. Since he had said he wanted to eat something delicious for his birthday, I asked him if he would like eel or sukiyaki, and he said he wanted both. So, we first headed to our usual restaurant where we occasionally go to eat Kansai-style eel.

That favorite restaurant of ours serves Kansai-style eel rice boxes that are carefully grilled over charcoal without being steamed. The skin is crispy and fragrant, the meat is plump, and the combination of the sauce and rice is exquisite. Even though my son doesn't like fish, this is the only eel he has been able to enjoy since he was little. A premium eel rice box costs about 5,000 yen, which is by no means cheap, but we decide to splurge as a family on birthdays. My son was also very happy and enjoyed it.

The vitality shown after the meal and looking forward to the next treat

On the way back from the eel restaurant, my son, full of energy from the delicious food, enthusiastically said, "I'll do my best," and stopped by the study room to study for about six hours. I was happy as a parent to see that he had been able to properly replenish his energy with the meal.

From now on, there will be mock exams and Common Test mock exams almost every week, and a difficult period will continue. If he can get this much energy from eating delicious food, I want to be particular about the upcoming sukiyaki as well. I plan to buy local Wagyu beef and cook it at home for the sukiyaki.

Kansai-style sukiyaki using local specialty Wagyu beef is truly exceptional. The real thrill of the Kansai style is spreading large pieces of Wagyu beef in a heated iron pot and sprinkling sugar and soy sauce directly onto it to grill it until juicy.

First, enjoying the best quality Wagyu beef simply by coating it in egg and eating it with gusto. This is the best way to motivate my son, who loves to talk and loves to eat. My son loves this way of eating and is always very happy with it.

Because this is a difficult time with weekend mock exams happening one after another and rigorous daily study, I feel that such occasional luxuries are necessary in addition to daily meals to help him maintain his energy. I want to support his physical condition and overcome the harsh summer ahead together.