Lipomas of the esophagus are rare benign tumors. Patients with esophageal lipomas are usually asymptomatic until tumors become large enough to cause symptoms. We report a rare case of a small esophageal tumor, only 1.0 cm in diameter, which caused indolent symptoms; surgical enucleation was successfully performed with a right lateral mini-thoracotomy with simultaneous esophagoscopic guidance. A 70-year-old woman complained of a foreign body sensation in her chest for 4 months. Body weight loss was also noted. Both barium esophagography and endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a submucosal tumor in the middle esophagus. Biopsy failed to demonstrate the submucosal tissue. Intraoperative esophagoscopic-guided tumor enucleation via a right lateral mini-thoracotomy was performed. A lipoma, 1.0 cm at the largest diameter, in the submucosa of the middle esophagus, was confirmed by pathology. The postoperative course was uneventful.