Yamadaya

This shop in Usuki, Oita is the original restaurant of the incredibly popular branch of the same name in Tokyo, which held three Michelin stars at the peak of its popularity. The Yamadaya series of restaurants specializes in the famously poisonous fugu blowfish, which requires a special license to cook legally — an extremely difficult license to obtain that requires at least two years of training. Guests can rest assured that the chefs there more than know what they're doing — the original Yamadaya has been running for over 100 years without incident. The owner is the third generation proprietor, and one of the foremost ambassadors for fugu on the global culinary scene. Seats are extremely competitive, given the restaurant's stellar reputation, but visitors lucky enough to secure a spot can enjoy slices of fugu sashimi fanned out beautifully on antique ceramic ornate plates, their patterns visible through the translucent white flesh. Dip these paper-thin pieces in citrus sauce to break down the protein and unlock the fugu's latent umami flavor. There are a myriad of other styles on offer in the set menus too, like grilled fugu with nuts, and a hot pot with kelp soup packed full of fish and vegetables. The Tokyo outlet (formerly in Nishi-Azabu, now in Marunouchi) may be the one that receives the most attention nowadays, but there's nothing quite like eating this highly prized Kyushu specialty at the place of its origin.