Matsuya's Official X Tries the 1,880-Yen 'Eel Combo Beef Bowl (Double)' on the Day of the Ox

On the evening of July 26, Matsuya’s official X account (@matsuya_foods) posted photos of eating the “Eel Combo Beef Bowl (Double)” to mark the Day of the Ox. The post was captioned “A Sunday indulgence” and “It’s delicious,” with the official account itself sampling eel on this year’s Day of the Ox.

The 1,880-Yen Double, Chosen as a “Sunday Indulgence”

The posted photo shows a white bowl topped with two pieces of teriyaki-glazed kabayaki-style eel, with Beef Bowl behind it and a bowl of miso soup and a packet of sauce alongside. The Eel Combo Beef Bowl pairs Beef Bowl with eel: the base version is 1,180 yen, the Double with two pieces of eel is 1,880 yen, and the Triple with three pieces is 2,580 yen. This time’s serving was the middle option — the Double with two pieces of eel.

The “July 26” Named in the Original Announcement

The Eel Combo Beef Bowl is part of the Grilled Eel Bowl series that Matsuya released on June 23. It launched alongside five other eel dishes — Grilled Eel Bowl, Grilled Eel Plate, Fluffy Egg Grilled Eel Bowl, Fluffy Egg Grilled Eel Plate, and Eel & Simmered Beef & Onion Plate — for six eel items in total, all of which remain on sale.

The announcement for this release stated outright, “This year’s Day of the Ox falls on July 26,” naming the date explicitly. The official account’s tasting post landed on that very date. Matsuya has continued selling Grilled Eel Bowl items every year, changing the name and preparation each time, and is billing this year’s lineup as its “8th release.”

From Announcement to Tasting: A Staged Rollout of Posts

This year’s messaging around the Day of the Ox built up in stages, starting with the June 23 release announcement. On July 16, the takeout-only “Grilled Eel Bowl Bento Set” became available for advance reservation through Matsuben Net, and on July 20 the Matsuya App-exclusive “Grilled Eel Bowl Point Boost Campaign” began (awarding 100 Matsuya Points on three items including Grilled Eel Bowl, running July 21–27).

In the days just before, the official X account kept up a run of posts: a preview on the evening of July 25 saying “Tomorrow is the Day of the Ox,” followed by a same-day announcement at midday on the 26th, “Today is the Day of the Ox!!” While those earlier posts referred to the lineup collectively as “Grilled Eel Bowl,” this tasting post was the first to name the Eel Combo Beef Bowl specifically.

The Current Entry in the “Combo Beef Bowl” Lineup

The Eel Combo Beef Bowl belongs to the “Combo Beef Bowl” lineup, a category that pairs Beef Bowl with an additional dish. This lineup previously included the Chicken Combo Beef Bowl (790 yen) and the Seared Mayo Spicy Chicken Combo Beef Bowl (890 yen), both of which disappeared in April. The 1,180-yen Eel Combo Beef Bowl has since taken over as the current entry. Compared to its predecessors in the lineup, the price runs higher, reflecting the cost of eel. Since its June 23 debut, the price and content have stayed unchanged through the Day of the Ox.