Sea eel

The delicate hassun (appetizers) came next in a fine wooden box: marinated greenling in rice vinegar, sea eel wrapped in dried gourd shavings, edamame (soybeans), salted tai (red sea bream), tai roe cake, Japanese taro, chimake sushi (Japanese dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaf) and ginger.

As we walked across the sea, we came across uniquely colorful seaweed, sea turtles, spiky Ritza fish, crabs with huge claws, a sea snake and one particularly frightening sea eel, which we had to run away from.

Consequently, the retailer discontinued sushi made with sea eel, octopus, yellowtail tuna, and shrimp not from the United States or Canada, in favor of sustainable options.

But how about a plateful of turnips, raw sea eel and sparrows?

Head sushi chef Toshikatshu Izumi, said: "Our specialities are sea eel, octopus, sea urchin, ark-shell and dried gourd.

Restaurants there use sea eels in soups or for grilling.

909, has been charged with catching sea eels in June 1997 in the newly declared Japanese territorial waters in the Sea of Japan off Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, in western Japan.