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These days, Japanese consumers want safe products and an increasing number are buying items such as pesticide-free vegetables or farmed fish. They are given artificial feed, no chemicals are used and the systems are closed off from the outer environment,вЂќ he says. Hiroki Meguro of Yumesozo believes that this trend will continue. Consumer buy-inДЄs Yumesozo continues its efforts to promote tiger puffer farming, it appears that more Japanese consumers are eating the farmed, non-toxic variety. Through this, Yumesozo has turned a weakness into a strength,вЂќ said Kaneko. When that reaches a peak, by squeezing the fish to kill it, its taste becomes even stronger and more delicious. When this happens, the amount of amino acid in the intracellular fluid of muscle cells also goes up, to balance out with the salt concentration in the blood. вЂњWhen you transfer tiger puffer from hot spring water to seawater, the salt concentration in their blood вЂ“ osmotic pressure вЂ“ rises quite considerably but this is only temporary. This involves transferring the fish from hot spring water to artificial seawater the day before shipment and killing them the following day by squeezing. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the fish undergo a process called seasoning before they are shipped. If they are reared in water that isnвЂ™t seawater, such as hot spring water, they will definitely not accumulate tetrodotoxin.вЂќД«ecause hot spring water is less dense than seawater, the taste of tiger puffer can become almost flavourless and the meat can be watery. вЂњItвЂ™s contained in things such as microorganisms and accumulates in puffer fish, making them poisonous. вЂњTetrodotoxin is not something that the fish produces,вЂќ said Kaneko. Realising that saltwater fish could be cultivated in hot spring water, he contacted Professor Toyoji Kaneko, a fish physiology specialist who researches fish osmoregulation at the University of TokyoвЂ™s Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences.Д«ut how does the water ensure that YumesozoвЂ™s fish arenвЂ™t toxic? Although they all grew well, tiger puffer was chosen after profitability and species value were compared.

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Noguchi zeroed in on these advantages and began a series of rearing experiments with filefish, sea bream, flatfish and tiger puffer. It also contains sodium and potassium, with no sulphur or other noxious minerals.

At about 20вЊ, the water is cooler than at most hot springs, with a salt content of 0.9 вЂ“ 1.2 percent, or one third that of seawater. Late President Katsuaki Noguchi came up with the idea of farming puffer fish after he discovered springs of warm water in the mountains, around 500m below ground level. Yumesozo is located in the rural, mountainous town of Nasu-karasuyama, in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Some farms rear the fish on a controlled diet that doesnвЂ™t contain the microorganisms and smaller species that puffer fish ingest at sea. While it may seem far too risky to eat puffer fish, what appeals to many people is the thrill of having what could be their last meal.Д«ut is that thrill now disappearing? Thanks to advances in puffer fish research and farming, Japanese fisheries and university laboratories have started to cultivate a non-toxic version of the rare and expensive tiger puffer ( Takifugu rubripes).

The key for chefs is making sure that poison from the organs doesnвЂ™t reach parts of the fish that are edible, such as the meat and fins. As little as two milligrams is enough to kill an adult human. ItвЂ™s found in several of the fugu's organs, including the liver and gonads. The poison in puffer fish is a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which is thought to come from microorganisms and smaller sea life, such as shrimp and shellfish, that the fish ingests.

Chefs undergo strict training, followed by an extensive exam, before they are legally allowed to prepare the species. The highly toxic puffer fish, or fugu, is the most dangerous meal you can have in Japan.

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