The article highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Japan's food industry, particularly on live eel sales. With the government's call for reduced travel and many restaurants temporarily closing, the eel industry faces a significant downturn. Despite a bumper eel seedling harvest in East Asia, the domestic market for live eels is shrinking, leading to an oversupply and a drop in prices for Japanese live eels exported from China and Taiwan. The future of promoting live eels in the Japanese market looks challenging due to these challenges.