Eel is a favorite dish in Japan during summer, as it's believed to provide stamina to endure the heat. Next week has the Day of the Ox marking midsummer, and shipments of the seasonal delicacy are at their peak.

Workers at a local fisheries cooperative in a part of Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, are busy sorting farmed eels. The eels are about 40 to 50 centimeters long and are sorted by weight.

The eels are kept in cold water for a day or two to give them the desired texture before they are shipped.

The area is one of the country's top producers. The cooperative says it will ship about 800 tons, or a third of the annual total, through August.