The blowfish, named fugu in Japanese, was consumed in Japan since the oldest times, but because of the risks involved the Tokugawa shogunate has forbidden fugu in Edo. Fugu consumption continued in the west side of the country, and during the Edo period safe preparation techniques were developed.

After the Meiji Restauration fugu was banned again in some parts of Japan, but today it is consumed all around the country, and in some cities the fugu restaurants density is quite large. One of them is Osaka, where you can see advertisements with giant fugu made of papier-mâché, like in this photo taken in Shinsekai.

Zuboraya, Shinsekai, Osaka

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Nikko Toshougu Shimojinko