Torafugu-tei Ginza

With 40 restaurants spread out through Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures, Torafugu-tei has established itself as the foremost tiger pufferfish specialist in the Kanto region. Raised for at least two years in carefully controlled fisheries in Hirado port, off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture, the fish are swiftly transported live by trained torafugu specialists to each store, in a journey that takes under 15 hours from start to finish. Upon arrival, they are transferred into massive tanks to allow them to continue swimming freely — almost as though they had never been taken from their natural habitat. This allows for maximum freshness when they are prepared (by Torafugu-tei’s licensed expert chefs) and transferred to each diner’s plate, to the point where the restaurant claims that the meat continues to twitch when it arrives on the table — hence the “swimming” in its course menu name. Whether it’s served up fried, boiled or raw, Torafugu-tei provides a number of safe, delicious ways to enjoy the tiger puffer. One of its most visited outlets, the Ginza branch sees a steady stream of curious customers — locals and foreigners alike — pass through its doors for a taste of this highly poisonous delicacy.