It is said that Japanese people eat "flowing water somen noodles" as soon as summer comes:
First, the bamboo is cut in half, and after removing the separation in the middle, it becomes a sink.
Then put the pre-cooked somen noodles in running water and let them go down the river.
Diners wait on both sides of the bamboo and use chopsticks to fish for the noodles in the water.
(Japan flowing hydrogen surface)
Some people say that the noodles are cooled immediately after cooking, and they are chewy to eat.
And many people get together to have a more atmosphere, and you can feel the cool happiness of eating near the water.
However, this way of eating noodles has hidden dangers, and recently Japan has exposed big problems...
(Japan flowing hydrogen surface)
In Tsuhata Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, there is a restaurant "Great Falls Sightseeing Flowing Water Somen".
It is said that about 10,000 tourists come here every year to watch the waterfall while eating flowing water noodles.
("Great Falls Sightseeing Flowing Water Somen Restaurant")
The restaurant is only open in the summer, but after a three-year shutdown during the pandemic, it is reopening this year.
As a result, some guests reported that after coming to eat on August 11, the group had diarrhea.
After preliminary investigation, 24 of the 29 guests who came to dine on August 11 and 12 later developed symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.
Fourteen of them went to the hospital, but no one was hospitalized at the time.
These guests developed symptoms of food poisoning after eating meals such as running water noodles, grilled fish, shaved ice, sausages, etc.
Therefore, Ishikawa Prefecture ordered the restaurant to close for 3 days from August 17~19.
Apparently, the local government did not realize the seriousness of the problem either...
Later, more and more people reported feeling unwell after eating.
Ishikawa Prefecture received feedback from 1,298 people, and confirmed that 892 of them were indeed food poisoning.
(892 people identified locally as food poisoning)
611 people went to the hospital for diarrhea and fever, and 22 people were hospitalized for treatment.
In addition to the local Ishikawa Prefecture, the victims came from 18 prefectures in Japan, including Toyama, Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi.
The youngest is only 1 year old, and the oldest is in his 80s.
(The youngest victim is only 1 year old)
It is also the largest number of food poisoning incidents in Ishikawa Prefecture since 1989.
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
According to the on-site survey of the Ishikawa Prefectural Public Health Center,
The problem came from the detection of Campylobacter in spring water used for meals such as running water noodles and shaved ice.
As for how Campylobacter mixed into the spring water, the local government has not yet figured it out.
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revealed that Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in Japan.
Among foods, the most common source of Campylobacter is raw or undercooked chicken.
Contaminated water or ice is also a source of infection.
Symptoms of Campylobacteriosis, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, headache, muscle aches and vomiting, usually last 3~6 days.
Campylobacter can be killed by heating at 75°C for more than a minute, so heating food well can prevent infection.
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
After the incident, "Great Waterfall Sightseeing Water Noodles" issued a statement on its official website to explain,
Originally, we conducted water quality inspections more than once a year, but this year, due to heavy rains in mid-July, we did not conduct water quality inspections until we opened on July 23.
The Ishikawa prefectural government requires that the 550 local restaurants that use well water or mountain spring water should honestly conduct a water quality inspection once a year.
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
In this incident, Japanese netizens were speechless:
"There are about 2,000 Campylobacter food poisoning people in Japan every year, and this incident alone is home to nearly half of the victims."
"This kind of thing is unhygienic no matter how you look at it."
"I still don't know how Campylobacter mixes into the spring water, it's scary."
After nearly a thousand guests got food poisoning,
The restaurant was unable to open anymore and announced that it would close after paying all compensation.
"I'm sorry for the great pain and trouble caused to everyone."
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
Even if it is affected by heavy rain, it is possible to wait until the water quality inspection is completed.
Just by delaying the opening a little, this large-scale food poisoning incident may have been avoided.
Wait until now to apologize, it's too late ...