Value Village ／ Food & living
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Japan eats a great deal of fish, and households have built up know-how on handling it. Yet on Q&A sites abroad, "how many days will the fish I bought keep?" and "can I eat sashimi the next day?" are perennial questions. We set out the answers, taking into account the rise in food poisoning from Anisakis (a parasitic worm found in fish).
| State | Fridge (chilled compartment recommended) | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Whole fish (with guts) | Same day. Remove guts and gills, rinse and pat dry, and it keeps until the next day | 2–3 weeks |
| Fillets and cuts | 1–2 days | 2–3 weeks |
| Sashimi (sold for raw eating) | Same day | Not suitable (texture suffers on thawing) |
| Dried fish (himono) | 2–3 days | 1 month |
| Shellfish (asari clams, etc.) | Same day to next day (in salt water) | After purging the sand, can be frozen in the shell |
[Verify] Check the Anisakis case count in the latest year of the food-poisoning statistics, and the temperatures and times in MHLW's "Let's prevent food poisoning from Anisakis."
The "for raw consumption" label assumes "eat today." The safe side is to cook it the next day before eating.
Anisakis is a parasite living in the guts of the live fish; it has nothing to do with freshness. After death, it moves into the flesh over time, so gutting early helps, but the real measures are checking by eye and removing it, freezing, or cooking.
A household freezer warms and cools as the door is opened, and takes time to reach −20°C at the centre. The common advice is to allow a margin, such as 48 hours or more. Conditions differ from commercial blast freezing.
Histamine food poisoning from fish happens when red-fleshed fish (tuna, bonito, mackerel, yellowtail) is left at room temperature and histamine forms. Cooking does not break it down, and you cannot smell it. Refrigerate straight after purchase and never leave it out — the only prevention.
The basic method is a quick rinse in salt water, pat completely dry, wrap each piece in cling film, then into a bag; any remaining water causes freezer burn and frost. Freezing with a seasoning (salt, miso or soy sauce) is shared among people living in Japan as a trick that "resists freezer burn and can go straight into the pan after thawing."
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https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000042953.html
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/04.html
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000130677.html
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Some ingredients need thorough cooking. Eat raw only foods that are sold for raw consumption. If you have allergies, check the ingredients.
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