In the landlocked prefecture of Saitama, a day-trip hot spring facility has begun offering sea urchins raised in its hot spring waters starting on June 1st.
The cherished staples of Japanese dining tables, such as umeboshi, dried fish, kimchi, and mentaiko, are now facing a crisis. The issue stems from the Food Sanitation Law, which was revised six years ago. The catalyst for this change was a food poisoning outbreak in 2012, linked to lightly pickled Chinese cabbage, which resulted in the deaths of eight people in Sapporo and other cities.