u/nanto-1633

In Japan, a license is required to butcher and sell certain types of pufferfish because their internal organs contain lethal toxins. Obtaining this license requires several months to a year of training and certifies the holder’s ability to safely butcher pufferfish and dispose of their internal organs.

In the past, dozens of people died each year from pufferfish poisoning, but today there is only one fatality every few years, and most of these occur in the homes of unlicensed anglers.

Considering that over 5,000 tons of pufferfish are landed in Japan every year, the chance of consuming poison at a restaurant with licensed chefs is far lower than the chance of being hit by a car on the street.

Sour rice topped with raw fish or shellfish and shaped by bare hands

I remember that about twenty years ago, the general view around the world was that raw fish and rice that had been touched by hand were disgusting.

Akechi Mitsuhide was a samurai during the late Sengoku period (1500s) who served Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga was on the verge of unifying Japan during the Sengoku period, but Mitsuhide betrayed him and killed him and his eldest son. Subsequently, one of Nobunaga’s vassals, Hashiba Hideyoshi, defeated Mitsuhide and unified Japan.

The reason why Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga remains unclear. Although he was an outstanding tactician, military administrator, politician, and man of culture, he had few strategies in place after killing Nobunaga. For this reason, many believe he betrayed Nobunaga on a sudden impulse due to excessive stress.