Famous Restaurant Incident in Tsubatacho, Ishikawa Prefecture
Patients Dined at the Restaurant Between August 11 and 17
Controversy has arisen as nearly 900 patients were reported within a month at a famous Japanese summer delicacy restaurant serving 'Nagashi Somen,' a dish where thin wheat noodles flow through bamboo waterways and are picked up to eat.
Many Japanese tourists, including the well-known domestic YouTuber 'GwakTube,' have visited Nagashi Somen restaurants and posted videos on YouTube or social media (SNS), making it familiar even in Korea.
According to reports from NHK and other local Japanese media on the 6th, a famous Nagashi Somen restaurant in Tsubata-cho, Ishikawa Prefecture, experienced a total of 892 food poisoning cases during August. This is the largest number of food poisoning patients recorded in Ishikawa Prefecture since 2020.
The restaurant, which has been in business for over 30 years, is a popular dining spot that becomes crowded every summer.
The patients were found to have dined at the restaurant between August 11 and 17. Their ages ranged from 1 year old to people in their 80s. Among the patients, 22 were hospitalized due to symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting, but they have since recovered.
The food poisoning patients came from all over Japan. NHK reported that the high number of patients was linked to the increased travel of people returning home during the 'Obon holiday' (August 15).
As a result of an epidemiological investigation conducted by Ishikawa Prefecture, the spring water used in the bamboo waterways at the restaurant was found to contain 'Campylobacter,' a bacteria that causes food poisoning. Campylobacter resides in the intestines of livestock such as chickens, cattle, and pigs, and infection can cause symptoms including diarrhea (sometimes with bleeding), vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps, and in rare cases, respiratory distress.
Subsequently, Japanese authorities sent notices to restaurants using spring or well water, instructing them to conduct water quality tests at least once a year.
The restaurant was ordered to suspend operations for three days. Through an official announcement on its website, the restaurant stated that it will close permanently once compensation payments are completed.
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