Shimonoseki Fugu

Shimonoseki handles the largest share of Japan's fugu trade, and the local pronunciation is fuku, a homophone for good fortune, used to avoid the unluckier sound of fugu. The fish carries tetrodotoxin in the liver, ovaries and skin depending on species, and preparation is restricted by law to licensed cooks who train for years and sit a practical examination; the licensing is prefectural and Yamaguchi's is among the strictest. Because of that, eating it in a licensed restaurant is a regulated activity rather than a gamble, and the danger stories almost all involve amateur preparation. The auction at Haedomari is done by fukuro-seri, in which buyer and auctioneer clasp hands inside a black cloth bag and negotiate by finger signals so nobody else sees the price. Karato market on the waterfront sells fugu sashimi sliced thin enough to read through, along with sushi, on Friday to Sunday market days.

What you actually see

• Bag auctioning - prices negotiated by finger signals inside a black cloth.
• Licensed preparation - a prefectural licence requiring years of training and an examination.
• Paper-thin sashimi - fugu sliced fine enough to see the plate pattern through.
• Karato market days - Friday to Sunday, with sushi and fugu sold at the counters.

When to go

October to March, the season. Half a day; Karato's market days are Friday to Sunday.

Honest expectations

Only eat fugu prepared by licensed cooks - amateur preparation is where the deaths come from. Season is winter; summer offerings are frozen or farmed. Karato market is busiest and best on weekend mornings. Fugu is expensive and mild in flavour - people expecting drama are usually surprised.

Nearby

The Kanmon Strait and Mojiko are across the water; Tsunoshima is north-west.