Akira

Natto

The scariest of Japanese foods might be natto. Natto has relatives, like tempeh and tofu, but natto is whole soybeans fermented. Somehow, the process makes them gooey, and when you stir it with your chopsticks it forms long, gooey strings, like mozzarella on hot pizza slices.

But it doesn't taste like mozzarella. It tastes like bad tempeh, an overpowering aroma of soy attacking your nostrils, prying open your olfactory nerves, and rushing to your brains.

Overall, it's not that bad.

If you bury it in soy sauce.