A Message from the Japan Hakata Wa Unagi Promotion Council

Since ancient times, Hakata has been a city that connects Japan with Asia and the rest of the world.

Hakata welcomed new cultures from across the sea, refined them with a Japanese sensibility, and over time developed them into a food culture of its own.

Today, from Hakata, we are working to develop a new food culture that we want to share with the world.

Its name is “Japan Hakata Wa Unagi.”

This name is not an old tradition that has existed for generations.

It is a new regional brand that we will develop together with many people, in order to pass Japan’s unagi (eel) culture on to the future and deliver it to the world from Fukuoka.

Passing on the spirit of those who came before us in Fukuoka

In Fukuoka, there were people who did not keep the value they created to themselves. Instead, they shared it with others, spread it across the region, and developed it together into a shared culture.

They believed that the whole region becomes prosperous when not just one person succeeds, but when more people make the product, more people sell it, and more people tell others about it.

They competed with one another to improve their skills, and at the same time they worked together to grow the market.

We want to carry on this spirit of the people who came before us in Fukuoka.

We are not trying to copy a famous local product from the past.

We want to carry on their belief that value should be developed together by the region rather than kept by one party, adapt it to our time, and pass it on to the next generation.

Japan Hakata Wa Unagi is a new challenge that begins with this belief.

Raised in Japan, refined in Fukuoka, and delivered from Hakata to the world

Unagi has been a much-loved food in Japan for a very long time.

Skilled craftspeople check the condition of each eel one by one. They carefully fillet, steam, and grill it, and brush on the sauce again and again.

This skill and flavor reflect the attention to detail that Japanese people value, and their care for the people who eat the food.

However, simply continuing to do things the same way as in the past is not enough to preserve Japan’s unagi culture for the future.

The future requires stable production, reliable quality control, verifiable farming records, food safety, and care for natural resources.

It also requires products that people from different countries and cultures can choose with confidence.

Through Japan Hakata Wa Unagi, eel raised in Japan is refined by the skills of producers, processors, chefs, and sellers in Fukuoka, and then delivered from Hakata to customers in Japan and overseas.

The name does not mean that the eel is produced in Hakata.

The name means that we create new value in Hakata, develop it as part of Fukuoka’s food culture, and share it with the world.

The name expresses this commitment.

The three meanings of “Wa”

The word “Wa” in “Hakata Wa Unagi” has three meanings.

The participants compete with one another, but they are connected by the same goal.

We hope that this circle of people will spread from Fukuoka to all of Japan, and from Japan to the world.

A brand that no one can build alone

No single person can achieve this challenge alone.

No single company can build a regional brand that takes root around the world by itself.

• Producers who raise eel with great care.
• Processors who turn the eel into products with reliable skills.
• Chefs who create new flavors and new ways to enjoy unagi.
• Distributors and sellers who deliver the products to the places where they are needed.
• Researchers and experts who support food safety and production technology.
• Government, business leaders, and financial institutions that support local industry.
• People in tourism, transportation, hospitality, and the media who share the appeal of Fukuoka in Japan and overseas.
• And customers who choose the products, eat them, and tell others about them.

A new food culture can only be born when the efforts of all these people come together.

This is not a brand that we can complete by ourselves.

We need your knowledge, experience, skills, and credibility, as well as your love for Fukuoka.

We hope that everyone will take part in their own way, make use of our differences, and work together toward one large goal.

This combined strength is what will carry Japan Hakata Wa Unagi from Fukuoka to the world.

We protect trust, not a name

What we want to protect is not an exclusive right to use a name.

We want people to be able to choose any product labeled “Japan Hakata Wa Unagi” with confidence.

That trust is what we want to protect.

• Where was the eel raised?
• What kind of producer raised the eel, and in what kind of environment?
• How was the eel processed?
• Has the safety of the product been confirmed?
• Is all the information on the label true?

We will make production records and quality standards clear, certify products that meet the standards, and build a system that consumers can see.

Even when more companies take part, we will not reduce our responsibility for quality.

Even when the business grows larger, we will not lose our integrity.

This is the promise of Japan Hakata Wa Unagi.

More than one flavor

Japan Hakata Wa Unagi does not consider any single flavor or grilling style to be the only correct one.

• Kabayaki: eel grilled with sauce until it is fragrant.
• Shirayaki: eel grilled without sauce to enjoy its natural flavor.
• Eel grilled over charcoal by skilled craftspeople.
• Dishes that make use of local ingredients.
• New dishes created through encounters with food cultures overseas.

We share common standards for quality and safety, and we also respect the free ideas of chefs and companies.

Many different products and dishes can be created under the same brand.

This diversity will help Japan Hakata Wa Unagi grow into a food culture that is loved for a long time, not a short-lived trend.

Sharing the same table with people around the world

Each country in the world has its own religions, cultures, and eating habits.

We will not force the Japanese way of eating on others. We will deliver our food while understanding and respecting other cultures.

• We will make information about ingredients and seasonings clear.
• We will explain safety and production records in a way that is easy to understand.
• When necessary, we will develop products that respect religious and dietary needs.
• We will work with local chefs to create new ways to enjoy unagi.

We will protect Japan’s unagi culture while living in harmony with the food cultures of the world.

This is also part of the mission we express with the word “Wa.”

Not a brand only for halal

Japan Hakata Wa Unagi is not a brand intended only for Muslim customers.

It is a regional brand that aims to let people around the world enjoy Japan’s unagi culture with confidence, regardless of their religion, nationality, or culture.

Our halal efforts are one important step toward achieving this goal.

However, this does not mean that every product, store, facility, ingredient, seasoning, or manufacturing process with the name “Japan Hakata Wa Unagi” is automatically halal certified.

Halal certification applies only to the products, facilities, ingredients, manufacturing processes, and period of validity that have been reviewed by the certification body and stated on the certificate.

For certified products, we will show the scope of the certification accurately and clearly.

We will not use any labeling that could make people think that uncertified products or stores are halal.

We will not ask everyone to accept the same product. Instead, we will offer reliable choices that suit each culture and eating habit.

Through these efforts, we aim to become a brand that brings people around the world to the same table, beyond differences in religion and culture.

We are building more than products

Our goal is not to sell unagi only for a short time.

Our goal is to create a new industry in Fukuoka, train new producers, preserve the skills of chefs for the future, and create new jobs and new connections between people.

We also hope to create a culture in which people who visit Fukuoka will one day say:

“When I come to Fukuoka, I want to eat Hakata Wa Unagi.”

That is the culture we want to create.

The brand does not depend on any single company, and it will continue as long as there are people who carry on its spirit.

We hope the brand will grow across generations, across regions, and across national borders.

That is the regional brand we aim to build.

Every tradition was once something new

Every famous local food had a first step.

Someone came up with the idea, someone made it, someone ate it, and then that person told others how delicious it was.

These small steps eventually became the culture of a region and were passed down to the next generation.

Japan Hakata Wa Unagi is now taking that first step.

It is not yet a complete tradition.

For that very reason, we can develop it together with the producers, chefs, companies, local people, and customers around the world whom we will meet in the future.

We cannot complete this challenge by ourselves.

We need your help to carry on the spirit of those who came before us in Fukuoka and to leave a new food culture for the next generation.

• People who make the products.
• People who deliver the products.
• People who tell others about the products.
• People who support the brand.
• And people who eat and enjoy the products.

The hopes and actions of each person will one day become a new tradition of Fukuoka.

• Raised in Japan.
• Refined in Fukuoka.
• Delivered from Hakata.
• Shared with the world.

This is a new tradition that we will develop together with you.

The story begins here.