Wakasa Fugu: Where to Eat & What It Costs (Fukui)

Wakasa fugu is tiger pufferfish farmed in Wakasa Bay. Raised in cold, clear waters, the fish develops firm flesh and is prized for its refined savoriness. Wakasa Bay is also known as a natural spawning ground for tiger pufferfish, and the fish is carefully raised in those waters.

Highlights

Sliced paper thin, it has a translucent beauty, and its umami spreads the more you chew. Made into the hot pot known as tecchiri, it yields a deeply nourishing broth filled with the flavor of the fish. Its light yet profound taste is the appeal. Beyond paper thin sashimi known as tessa and the tecchiri hot pot, it can be enjoyed as deep fried pieces or as hire zake, the joy of pufferfish being to savor a single fish in many ways.

Enjoying the Seasons

Pufferfish comes into its own in the cold season. Winter, when the flesh firms up, is the time to fully savor the taste as sashimi or hot pot. Warming a chilled body with the pot is another winter pleasure.

Access and Basic Information

Areas across the Reinan region facing Wakasa Bay, such as the town of Wakasa, Obama City, Takahama and Oi, are the main producers. Seaside inns and restaurants serve pufferfish course meals.

Practical Travel Notes

• The prime is winter. Roughly from late autumn to early spring is a good guide for the pufferfish season.
• Pufferfish is best enjoyed at restaurants and inns with licensed cooks. It is often served in a course including sashimi and hot pot, and many places require reservations.
• Since a single fish can be enjoyed as sashimi, hot pot, deep fried pieces and hire zake, a course is a satisfying way to choose.
• Wakasa has many seaside hot spring inns, so a winter trip pairing pufferfish with a stay is a classic. Confirming the budget and course contents when reserving is reassuring.

A Quick Tip

A course offering both sashimi and hot pot lets you enjoy the full charm of the fish.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Season: As the fish is farmed it is shipped year-round, but Fukui Prefecture's official tourism website gives October to March as the peak season.
• Main producing areas: The four municipalities of Tsuruga City, Wakasa Town, Obama City and Takahama Town. This is the northernmost sea-based farming of tiger pufferfish in Japan: juveniles about 7 cm long are put into the pens in May and June, and are raised for more than a year and a half until they reach 35-40 cm and 800 g to 1 kg before shipping.
• Official certification scheme: Since fiscal 2008 (Heisei 20), Fukui Prefecture has certified inns in the prefecture that serve Wakasa pufferfish cuisine as "Wakasa Fugu no Yado" (Wakasa pufferfish inns). The prefecture advises: "When you make your reservation, please ask for 'Wakasa fugu' by name. We are also happy to discuss the content of the menu with you."
• Origin of the name: The prefecture explains that the name began around 1985 (Showa 60), when fish shipped to Osaka came to be called "Wakasa fugu" at the Kuromon Market.

Note: Opening hours and prices vary from restaurant to restaurant.

(Sources: Fukui Prefecture "Wakasa Fugu no Yado" official website; Fukui.com, "Tiger Pufferfish Raised in Japan's Coldest Sea: Wakasa Fugu"; Wakasa Takahama Tourism Association official website, "Introducing Wakasa Fugu")

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Fukui Prefecture and the Wakasa area and from information published by each restaurant. Prices and the season in which the dish is served are subject to change, so please check each restaurant's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: From several thousand yen for a course. Prices vary with the market, so check at the restaurant
• Where to eat it: Guesthouses and restaurants in the Reinan area, including Wakasa, Mihama and Obama
• Recommended time of day: Both lunch and dinner. The season runs from autumn to spring
• Avoiding the crowds: On winter weekends a reservation is advisable, so book early
• Enjoy it together with: Mikatagoko (the Five Lakes of Mikata), a Sotomo cliff cruise, and the seafood of Wakasa