[Takahama Town] Enjoy a summer course at Gosakuso, a restaurant specializing in pufferfish cuisine.

2026.08.18

Enjoy a rare fugu (pufferfish) course at Gosakuso in Takahama Town, available even in summer. This signature dish, made possible year-round by the farming techniques of founder Gosaku Imai, features a variety of preparations including fugu roe pickled in sake lees ("Fukuju"), shabu-shabu, and deep-fried fugu. This inn, located near Wakasa Wada Beach, offers a delightful summer culinary experience.

Summer delicacies to enjoy in Takahama Town

Example of a summer course menu: Shabu-shabu and marinated dishes

Hi, I'm Yamada , a writer promoting the charms of the Tsuruga and Wakasa area. When you think of summer in the Tsuruga and Wakasa area, you think of swimming at the beach. Many visitors come from other prefectures, especially from the Kansai region. There are also annual fireworks displays in each city and town, and festivals are held, so you can feel the atmosphere of summer everywhere.

Wakasa Wada Beach is located very close to the inn.

This interview turned out to be about a truly unexpected subject. Believe it or not, there's an inn in Takahama Town that serves a fugu (pufferfish) course meal in the summer! Fugu is usually associated with winter, and many people picture it in a hot pot. However, at "Gosakuso," the inn we're introducing today, you can enjoy delicious fugu dishes all year round. In the Tsuruga and Wakasa area, both crab and fugu are specialty dishes during autumn and winter. While they're offered at inns and restaurants, a summer fugu course is truly unique. Takahama Town is located at the westernmost tip of Fukui Prefecture. It boasts abundant nature, eight beaches, and Mount Aoba, known as "Wakasa Fuji," characterizes the town's landscape. While marine activities are plentiful, the area also offers opportunities to experience history and culture through temples and shrines. Fishing is also a thriving industry, and as mentioned earlier, in autumn and winter, it treats many gourmets to fugu and crab. Among them, Gosakuso specializes in fugu (pufferfish) cuisine and has achieved a remarkable feat that makes it no exaggeration to call it a pioneer in the world of fugu. Behind this success lies the indomitable story of Mr. Gosaku Imai, after whom the inn is named.

Gosakuso, a fugu (pufferfish) restaurant, was founded in Showa 55).

Mr. Gosaku was born in 1893. He was born into a family that owned a liquor store, but his father, who was addicted to alcohol, ruined the business. Perhaps because he witnessed this, Mr. Gosaku grew up to be a hardworking individual. He engaged in fishing, the manufacture and sale of sea cucumbers and processed fish products, oyster farming, and also ran a restaurant and ran a dairy farm. At that time, wild tiger pufferfish fishing was already being carried out in Takahama Town, but the delicious season was said to be "from the autumn equinox to the spring equinox." Pufferfish caught in fixed nets and gillnets from April to May were considered a nuisance because they would chew through the nets and were discarded. However, Mr. Gosaku took notice of this problem and searched for a solution. The answer he arrived at was "aquaculture." Aquaculture is the temporary raising of fish caught in the wild in fish farms or similar facilities. By mastering this technique, Mr. Gosaku made it possible to provide delicious tiger pufferfish throughout the year. He started this endeavor after he was over 60 years old, and the first few years were a series of failures. He quit his other businesses to dedicate himself to raising pufferfish, and in Showa, he finally succeeded in raising wild pufferfish. A full four years had passed since he started.

Japanese culture is evident everywhere.

A few years later, Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun visited the fish farm of the company headed by Mr. Gosaku during their visit to Wakasa. However, they were unable to sample pufferfish on this occasion. Mr. Gosaku, deduction that the reason lay in the pufferfish's poison, decided to take on the challenge of "detoxifying the pufferfish." Inspired by the method of making "heshiko" (fermented mackerel), Mr. Gosaku pickled pufferfish ovaries in rice bran and, after years of trial and error, finally succeeded in detoxifying them. The method he arrived at involved salting the ovaries for two years, followed by pickling them in sake lees for another year. By following this procedure, a new pufferfish dish was created.

We headed towards the restaurant while enjoying the view of the garden.

The inn was established after Mr. Gosaku's death. His children and grandchildren inherited his desire to "spread the delicious taste of Wakasa pufferfish to the world," and in Showa, the ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) "Gosaku-so" was founded. The fact that pufferfish dishes can be served throughout the year is a testament to the farming techniques that Mr. Gosaku cultivated. And the pickled pufferfish ovaries can still be enjoyed as part of the course menu. In particular, the taste of the pickled pufferfish ovaries has been continuously refined since its inception. After many years of searching for the perfect sake lees, a fateful encounter finally occurred in 2016. That partner was the sake lees of the Junmai Daiginjo sake from Kato Kichihei Shoten's "Bon," a renowned sake from Fukui Prefecture. This exquisite product was named "Senya no Kiseki Fukuju" in 2025, and it delights guests' palates as the culmination of the indomitable story that Mr. Gosaku and the inn have followed.

An example of a restaurant

The dining area at Gosakuso is a luxurious yet tranquil space, showcasing the craftsmanship of Toyama Inami artisans at every turn. A haiku composed by Emperor Showa, reminiscing about his visit, is displayed as a hanging scroll. Now, let's enjoy the summer fugu course in this wonderful space overflowing with traditional beauty.

We started the course by refreshing our palates with homemade aperitifs and getting ourselves in the mood. The appetizer was a Mitane platter of fukuju. It consisted of fukuju itself, fukuju combined with red shiso somen noodles, and fukuju mixed with cream cheese and presented in a monaka-style wafer. First, we tried the fukuju. How can I describe it? Fugu roe is rare, and its taste is truly unique. If I had to describe it, it has a less intense saltiness than expected, a rich fish roe flavor reminiscent of karasumi (cured mullet roe), and a sticky texture with a slight popping sensation. The rich, mellow taste and aroma of sake lingered afterwards. The red shiso somen noodles were devised by elementary school students in Takahama Town as part of a project to consider the future of their community. They are also sold under the product name "Shisomen," and this dish combines them with fukuju. It's a dish that evokes a sense of community and is perfect for summer. The combination of cream cheese and fukuju in a monaka wafer was also excellent. This is definitely a dish I'd like to try paired with white wine. Fukuju seems to pair well with alcohol. It feels like it has a lot of potential. And of course, pairing it with sake is a must. I'm especially excited to imagine pairing it with "Bon". This time, since it was a food-related article, I had to give up on trying sake. Next time, I definitely want to stay overnight and enjoy it.

From left to right: "Fukuju," "Shiso Somen," and "Cream Cheese Salad."

Next up is a platter of two types of fish: tataki (seared fish) and skin. The tataki is slightly thick, offering a firm texture and rich flavor. Both "tetsuhi" (outer skin) and "totoumi" (inner skin) are provided for comparison. The totoumi is thick, rich in collagen, and has a plump, tender texture. Apparently, it can only be obtained from larger fish, making it a rare and exquisite delicacy. These are served with a homemade ponzu sauce made with local soy sauce, vinegar, and Kishu yuzu. The spicy grated daikon radish with chili pepper is also sure to be a hit.

Left) Tataki (seared pufferfish), Tetsuhi (pufferfish skin), Totoumi (pufferfish roe) Right front) Grilled pufferfish

For the shabu-shabu, the pot is first heated and the pufferfish bones are added. Once the broth has started to seep out, thinly sliced ​​pufferfish, which can be eaten raw as sashimi, is lightly dipped in the broth. The vegetables are also locally sourced and their freshness was evident. Next, we were served fugu fin sake. The grilled pufferfish fins were quite large. They are grilled slowly for about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and we were impressed by the aroma and the wonderful flavor of the broth. For the fried pufferfish, we squeezed lemon over it. You can enjoy the crispy batter, the elasticity of the pufferfish meat, and the delicious flavor. Paired with beer, it really felt like a summer festival. The sea, beer, and fried pufferfish. It's the kind of scene that could become a catchphrase for Takahama Town. The marinade uses smoked pufferfish meat, and I instinctively felt that this would also go well with white wine. The smoky aroma and acidity stimulated the appetite.

Left) Steamed egg custard with cod milt and meat Right) Sake with cod fins

The chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) had a rich egg flavor. Furthermore, it contained pufferfish milt and meat, making it the most luxurious chawanmushi I've ever had. The meal concluded with pufferfish rice. The rice, cooked with pufferfish broth and meat, had a refined umami flavor. Despite having eaten my fill up to that point, my appetite remained undiminished, and I finished every last bite. While winter rice porridge is good, pufferfish rice is also a welcome addition. For dessert that day, coffee jelly with yuzu jam was served. The homemade yuzu jam was delicious and will likely remain a cherished summer memory.

(Oku) Deep-fried pufferfish (left) Pickles (right) Pufferfish rice

A summer fugu (pufferfish) course. Even though the heat usually dampens appetites, everything is so delicious that it will whet your appetite to the fullest. The course menu is the same for lunch and dinner, but we recommend staying overnight to fully enjoy the food and drinks. Overnight stays are limited to three groups per day. The beautiful Wakasa Wada Beach is within walking distance of the inn, and a stroll in the evening or morning when the temperature is relatively cooler will surely make for a memorable trip. Of course, delicious fugu dishes await you in seasons other than summer as well.

Example of a guest room

A charming garden

*The menu and images are from the day of the interview. They may change depending on the availability of ingredients on the day.

*The summer course menu will be available until the end of September.

Fugu Restaurant Gosaku-so 131-16-1 Wada, Takahama-cho, Takahama Town, Fukui Prefecture 919-2201 Fukui Prefecture TEL 0770-72-0164 FAX 0770-72-2036 Website https://fugu-gosaku.com/

[Interview Date: July 31, 2026] Yamada Yamada, Writer for Promoting the Charms of Tsuruga and Wakasa Areas, Fukui Prefectural Government Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team

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