During the Edo Period, there were routes that haul live eels from areas along the Sea of Japan to Osaka.Bamboo bags of eels carried on shoulders from the Nakanoumi of Izumo (Shimane Prefecture) down the Okayama (Okayama Prefecture) which is over the Chugoku hill district, from there the bags are taken Seto Inland Sea by boat and hauled to Osaka.To our modern eyes, the eel route involves an immense amount of time and effort to make, but this is how the gastronomic culture of Osaka emerged.