However only for summer Japanese people keep it in their calendars because there is a custom of eating eels on this "Doyo-no-ushi Day" in summer. It might sound funny but it has been believed among Japanese people that eating eels on the day would work well against fatigue caused by summer heat because eels are very nutritious and good for developing one's stamina.
So, during the Doyo period in summer, many of Japanese rush to eat eels. The typical way to eat eels on the day is grilled eels on the rice with sweet soy-sauce. Food shops sell lot's of grilled eels as you can see in the lower photo and all traditional eel restaurants as shown in the upper photos get busy, then on the "Ox-day of Doyo" it reaching its peak on the "Ox-da of Doyo".
The custom seems like a very old tradition based on some serious reason, but it is said that actually it was a made-up trend during the late Samurai-era in the 18th century. There was a famous historical herbalist named Gennai Hiraga(1728-1780), he was a talented person who wrote light novels and invented devices. Apparently one day a shop owner of grilled eels with declining his sales asked for help and Gennai advised to advertise “It’s Doyo-no-ushi Day. Eat eels!” and it became a big trend in summer. At that time people already knew eels were good nutritious food, and the advertisement probably caught the attention of those who felt exhausted under the summer heat.
Since then, it came to stay as a seasonal custom in Japan. Maybe eating eels really works well against fatigue. If you are wondering about the effect, please try it on the 30th!
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