You like fish. You like ice cream. Why not try some fish ice cream? If you’re an American, you probably think this sounds a little weird, but for the Japanese, it is completely normal. When most people think of Japanese food, they think of sushi. Many have even tried it, but few have ventured further into the realm of Japan’s wild and crazy delicacies. For most Americans, raw fish is just about the weirdest food they can imagine, but in Japan, it gets even weirder. Fish-flavored ice cream is just one of the unusual foods that can be found.

Foreigners visiting Japan for the first time are also likely to be asked to try natto, or fermented soybeans. The brave souls will try it; those with any sense of smell will probably flee. Many foreigners have actually been rated by the Japanese according to whether or not they could eat natto. Natto is probably best known for its strong odor and slimy, sticky texture. The beans stick together in clumps and, when pulled apart by spoon or chopsticks, produce many sticky strings resembling spider webs. Most liken the odor to something rotten or moldy, and the truth is not far off. To make natto, steamed soybeans are mixed with bacteria, fermented for up to 24 hours, and then aged in a refrigerator for up to a week. It is during the aging process that spores develop, enzymes break down the soybean protein, and the stringy texture develops. The Japanese commonly eat natto with rice for breakfast, but most foreigners are unable to deal with the look, texture, or smell of the dish. If you want to break the mold and reverse the stereotype, why not give natto a try?

If you’re feeling even more daring, perhaps you’d like to try fugu, or blowfish. It may sound as normal as any other seafood dish, but blowfish have an organ that contains a toxin so deadly that only specially licensed chefs are allowed to prepare it. If not prepared correctly, the person eating the delicacy could die. The toxin paralyzes the muscles, including the lungs, yet the victim remains conscious as he suffocates to death. Many Japanese still die each year from Fugu poisoning, but that doesn’t stop them from eating blowfish.

If you’re not the type to gamble with your life, you should probably just stick with the ice cream. If the fish flavor is not for you, then don’t worry, for there are many other flavors to choose from. How about some salad ice cream? What about green tea, red bean, potato, seaweed, wasabi, chicken wing, or natto flavors? Basically, if it is edible, you can probably find it as an ice cream flavor in Japan. Actually, even if it is not edible, you can probably still find it as an ice cream flavor in Japan. Care for some Cactus ice cream? Why not try some goat, horseflesh, or tulip ice cream? Flavors such as green tea and red bean can already be found at many places here in the US. What are you waiting for? Grab a spoon and dig in.

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