The Second Eel

⚖️ The Cultural Geography Disappointment Society Special Tribunal

Chairperson Chizuru Sakama

"The court is now in session."

Umio

"Today's agenda is 'The Second Eel'."

Tsuchiya

"Not 'the second loach'?"

Umio

"It's the Reiwa era, so we have inflation."

Takashima

"Eels are more expensive, after all."

Tsuchiya

"Indeed, even metaphors have gone up in price."

Chapter 1: What exactly is an eel?

Sakama

"First, let's confirm the basic facts."

An eel appears on the screen.

Umio

"The eel is an extremely special fish for the Japanese people."

Takashima

But it is strange, isn't it?

Sakama

What is?

Takashima

Japanese people love sashimi, yet they do not eat eel raw.

Umio

There is a reason for that.

Tsuchiya

Is it because it looks unappetizing?

Umio

No, that is not it.

Umio

Eel blood is toxic.

The audience murmurs.

Takashima

To be precise, it is serum toxicity.

Umio

It is deactivated by heat, but eating it raw is dangerous.

Tsuchiya

In other words...

Sakama

So, what does that mean?

Tsuchiya

If you get served eel sashimi at a sushi restaurant, run.

Umio

It's crude, but you're right.

Chapter 2: Why do we eat it in midsummer?

Sakama

Next.

Takashima

It's the Day of the Ox, isn't it?

Umio

The Day of the Ox in 2026 is July 26th.

Tsuchiya

It's here again this year, is it?

Takashima

It comes every year.

Umio

The theory that it was proposed by Gennai Hiraga is generally the most famous one.

Tsuchiya

Is there any evidence?

Umio-mori

There is none.

Tsuchiya

Are you going to say that at the academic conference?

Takashima

However, it is a fact that eels have been associated with the Day of the Ox during the midsummer heat since the Edo period.

Sakama

Why is that?

Takashima

Because they weren't selling.

The venue falls silent.

Takashima

Eels didn't sell in the summer.

Umio

They are naturally fattest from autumn to winter.

Tsuchiya

In other words,

Takashima

I found a reason for a product that wasn't selling.

Tsuchiya

It's the same as social media in the Reiwa era.

Chapter 3: Why is it so expensive?

Sakama

Next.

Umio

I think everyone has a vague idea.

Tsuchiya

A vague idea about their wallets?

Umio

Yes.

Umio

Eel is expensive.

Takashima

The decline of glass eels.

Sakama

Farming costs.

Umio

Fuel costs

Takashima

Transportation costs

Sakama

Labor costs

Tsuchiya

In other words, it's not just the specific circumstances of eels, but truly a combination of all the causes of recent price hikes.

Chapter 4: Placeness

Sakama

Now, I will call in today's expert.

The venue buzzes with excitement.

Edward Relph enters the room.

Relph

An eel is a place.

Tsuchiya

Please leave.

Relph

No, that's not it.

Sakama

Please continue.

Relf

"People don't want to eat eel."

Umio

"Oh?"

Relf

"They want to confirm themselves eating eel on the Day of the Ox."

The venue buzzes.

Takashima

"I can understand that a little."

Tsuchiya

"Please don't agree with him."

Relf

"A place is a memory."

Relf emphasized.

"My grandfather ate it."

"My father ate it too."

"That is why I want to eat it."

Relf

"This is what place-ness is."

Tsuchiya

The conversation about eels is shifting toward nostalgia.

Yi-Fu Tuan testimony

Tuan

Humans transform space into place.

Sakama

It has started on schedule today as well, hasn't it?

Tuan

An ordinary supermarket is merely a space.

Takashima

Yes.

Tuan

But when the Day of the Ox arrives,

it becomes a sacred site.

Applause from the audience.

Tsuchiya

It's the fresh fish section, after all.

Tuan

People are drawn in by that scent.

Umio

Isn't that just advertising?

Tuan

Advertising is also a culture.

Sauer's testimony

Sauer

I surveyed the landscape.

Sakama

Where?

Sauer

Berg.

Takashima

Saitama? In that case, the Kurube Kita-Iriso branch in Sayama City is even cheaper. It's cash only, though.

Sauer

I also surveyed Yaoko.

Tsuchiya

So, you're touring supermarkets.

Sauer

A strange landscape appears on the Day of the Ox.

Screen.

Masses of eels.

Banners.

Charcoal-grilled photo.

Gold brush calligraphy.

Sauer

"This is a cultural landscape."

Tsuchiya

"It's a sales promotion."

Sauer

"Sales promotion is culture, too."

Tsuchiya

"Lately, you seem more like a marketer than a geographer."

Chapter 5: Remembering the Main Topic

Umio

"By the way."

Sakama

"Yes?"

Umio

"It was the second eel."

Silence.

Everyone

"Ah."

Takashima

"I had completely forgotten."

Umio

"Because it's note."

Sakama

"That's right."

Umio

"Many people are looking for ways to go viral."

Tsuchiya

"Indeed."

Umio

"Crafting the title."

Takashima

"Crafting it."

Umio

"Including images."

Sakama

"Including them."

Umio

"Studying SEO."

Takashima

"Do"

Umio

"Quote"

Sakama

"Do"

Tsuchiya

"So?"

Umio

"But... it's barely read."

The venue falls silent.

Relph

"It lacks a sense of place."

Tuan

"It lacks emotion."

Sauer

"It lacks landscape."

Takashima

"It lacks readers."

Tsuchiya

Is there anything missing?

Final Verdict

Presiding Judge Chizuru Sakama

I will now deliver the verdict.

1.

Eel must not be eaten raw.

1.

The Day of the Ox in midsummer is one of the most powerful promotional campaigns from the Edo period.

1.

The fresh fish section of a supermarket becomes a sacred place only once a year.

1.

The second loach has yet to be found.

1.

The second eel is even harder to find.

Hideji Otaki stands up from the back row.

Why?

Sakama

Why, indeed?

Otaki

It's simple.

If a second one were that easy to find... the manager would have already grilled it and sold it.

Tsuchiya

Dismissed.

And so, the Cultural Geography Disappointment Society glossed over its conclusion again this year.

Scholarship is the pursuit of truth.

But eels are the exception.

The price goes up while you're still looking for them.

And on the way home,

you hurry back with only the scent in your memory...

Well, eel furikake is delicious too, I suppose...