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Feasting on Fugu: Flirting with Death in Japan
Published by Biju Sukumaran, Writer
Country: Japan 
The Experience
Whenever I travel, especially to the East, I get this overpowering urge to eat bizarre delicacies. Something about the local fare, the tentacles squirming in buckets at neighborhood markets, strange new meats, and steam rising off grills charring unrecognizable animal parts gets my blood pumping - it almost makes me feel that, despite the McDonalds and KFCs at any given corner, I'm actually traveling to places that are authentically different from where I grew up. During my last break, I became obsessed with finding and feasting on fugu, or pufferfish.
Fugu, literally "river pig", is a fish prized for its unique look, its delicate flesh, and its ability to puff up to scare predators. It's also extremely poisonous to humans.
Every year, hundreds of people, usually amateur chefs, die from fugu poisoning. The fish must be prepared in a particular manner by specially trained chefs to prevent the dish from killing the diner. The fish contains a neurotoxin that slowly numbs the body, eventually causing paralysis and death. The most nerve-wracking part of the entire experience is that even if the fish is prepared properly, if you eat enough, trace toxins in the fish cause your mouth to go numb.
If that's not a culinary double-dare, I don't know what is.
With this in mind I flew to the fugu capital of the world, Osaka, for adventure, for culinary enjoyment, and to foolishly test my own mortality.
In the trendy Shinsaibashi area of Osaka, I easily found several fugu restaurants, heralded by huge fugu balloons. For a reasonable price I found a great set menu, which served the fish sashimi, deep-fried, and in a soup. The fish was delicate, but definitely not the culinary explosion that I had anticipated. So, to me, it was all about the numbness.
Was the toxin working? Was that numbness I felt?
No.
So, naturally, I ordered another huge platter of sashimi, the fish cut so thin that you could see the ceramic pattern of the dish underneath.
Nothing. But then something felt.....different.
And sure enough, with a few questions to confirm that I wasn't just dreaming it, I realized that I was high. Not like alcohol, not like numbness, but a floating, dreamlike sensation that clouded my mind. NOW I understood the goofy grins plastering the faces of the regulars.
As I walked – no - floated through Shinsaibashi, the aches and pains from traveling fell away and I realized that the old Japanese men populating the restaurant have a more traditional option to fall back on when their bar of choice is closed for the day. For the time being, flirting with death never tasted so good.
Fugu, literally "river pig", is a fish prized for its unique look, its delicate flesh, and its ability to puff up to scare predators. It's also extremely poisonous to humans.
Every year, hundreds of people, usually amateur chefs, die from fugu poisoning. The fish must be prepared in a particular manner by specially trained chefs to prevent the dish from killing the diner. The fish contains a neurotoxin that slowly numbs the body, eventually causing paralysis and death. The most nerve-wracking part of the entire experience is that even if the fish is prepared properly, if you eat enough, trace toxins in the fish cause your mouth to go numb.
If that's not a culinary double-dare, I don't know what is.
With this in mind I flew to the fugu capital of the world, Osaka, for adventure, for culinary enjoyment, and to foolishly test my own mortality.
In the trendy Shinsaibashi area of Osaka, I easily found several fugu restaurants, heralded by huge fugu balloons. For a reasonable price I found a great set menu, which served the fish sashimi, deep-fried, and in a soup. The fish was delicate, but definitely not the culinary explosion that I had anticipated. So, to me, it was all about the numbness.
Was the toxin working? Was that numbness I felt?
No.
So, naturally, I ordered another huge platter of sashimi, the fish cut so thin that you could see the ceramic pattern of the dish underneath.
Nothing. But then something felt.....different.
And sure enough, with a few questions to confirm that I wasn't just dreaming it, I realized that I was high. Not like alcohol, not like numbness, but a floating, dreamlike sensation that clouded my mind. NOW I understood the goofy grins plastering the faces of the regulars.
As I walked – no - floated through Shinsaibashi, the aches and pains from traveling fell away and I realized that the old Japanese men populating the restaurant have a more traditional option to fall back on when their bar of choice is closed for the day. For the time being, flirting with death never tasted so good.
When to Go to Fugu
Although fugu can be eaten year round, it is best to go from October to March, where the fish is caught fresh.
Odds n' Ends
Fugu restaurants often serve the fish in many different ways. The manner changes the prices, and although you can find meals for ¥2,000 (roughly $20) an eight course meal can cost up to ¥20,000 ($200). The fish is potentially deadly, but most deaths are untrained chefs consuming the meal themselves rather than dining customers at restaurants.
Places to Eat
- Zuboraya
- Specializes in fugu.
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