Although Tokyo is famous for its seafood, in Osaka, the octopus reigns supreme. It is by far one of the city’s most beloved seafood ingredients. You can’t walk more than a few hundred metres without seeing someone preparing Osaka’s signature dish—takoyaki, or octopus balls.
The most commonly consumed octopus in Japan is the madako, which is found worldwide. About a quarter of Japan’s octopus supply is caught domestically, while the rest is imported, primarily from Africa. Before being sold, they are usually blanched in brine, giving them a rich red to deep purple colour with white inner flesh.
Octopus is served in just about every way imaginable—freshly sliced as sashimi, grilled on yakitori sticks, stewed, fried, or baked. Every part is eaten, including the suction cups, which are considered a delicacy. To improve tenderness and reduce chewiness, octopus is often frozen or stewed for long periods to break down the muscle fibres. Other preparation methods include massaging the skin with salt, pounding the flesh with a mallet, or marinating it in sake or salt water for an extended time.
One of the most extreme ways to eat octopus is ikizukuri style, a controversial and somewhat gruesome dining experience where the octopus is sliced while still alive and eaten as it continues to wriggle. This method is illegal in some countries, including Germany and Australia, but can still be found in Japan and several other East Asian nations, including South Korea. Wriggling octopus tentacles have been known to cause choking incidents, as the suction cups can cling to a diner’s throat if not chewed thoroughly. In some cases, an octopus tentacle can continue moving for several hours after being cut, as salt or other substances react with the nerve endings.
Beyond its role as a culinary staple, the octopus holds a strong cultural presence in Japan, inspiring a range of unique and unusual spin-offs. Giant octopus sculptures adorn restaurant facades, octopus mascots can be seen promoting various businesses, and the creature has even made its way into folklore and pop culture.
One of the more unexpected aspects of Japan’s octopus fascination is its influence on erotic art, particularly in the form of tentacle erotica. This genre, often blending horror and science fiction themes, typically features women interacting erotically with octopus-like creatures. Though it may seem like a modern phenomenon, the origins of tentacle erotica date back to the early 1800s, most notably with Katsushika Hokusai’s The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife (Kinoe no Komatsu), a woodblock print depicting an intimate scene between a woman and an octopus. Since then, the theme has persisted in anime, manga, comic books, and adult fantasy films, frequently appearing in both serious and parody forms within Japanese pop culture.
