Worth Taking Note
　Did I fear my life when indulging in this rare treat? No. After all of the information that I have heard about directly from locals in Tokuyama and in Shimonoseki (see reports from 12/12 and 12/15), I realized that eating fugu can be very safe. Japanese have gone long out of their way to discover the key to eating safe fugu. Yes it has caused many a fatality (in most cases this is caused by braking established rules), but Japanese people have learned how to prepare each of the 22 types of fugu legal in Japan. How far locals have gone to prepare this dangerous dish and the skill and knowledge that it requires reflects a unique food culture unique to Japan.

How was it?
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm! Their is no texture like boiled food. Not chewey but firm. Not too firm but soft.

Yamaguchi Prefecture
　Tokuyama is one port that still practices Haenawa fugu fishing (see 12/12 report). Hundreds of meters of fishing line and hundreds of hooks only bring in between 0 to 50 fugu. In a day and age where fish cultiviation is overcoming the supply of naturally caught fish, Tokuyama's Haenawa Fugu represent some of the decreasing supply of natural fugu. Why fugu in Yamaguchi Prefecture? It is known that people have eaten fugu in Japan as far back as the Jomon Era (period between 12000 and 3000 years ago). The Seto Inland Sea and waters surrounding Yamaguchi Prefecture have historically had an abundance of fugu.

However, there is a brake in the history of fugu caused by it being banned during the Edo period. It was banned after many warriors lost their lives to its poison. Hundreds of years later it was reintroduced in Yamaguchi Prefecture. (see next wisdom-hometown restaurant for the reason why!)

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