A poisonous "tsukiyotake" (moonlight) mushroom is shown to the media Sunday by public health authorities in Shiga Prefecture. | KYODO

National

Poisonous mushrooms sold at Shiga rest stop sicken two

Kyodo

OTSU, SHIGA PREF. – Poisonous mushrooms sold at a highway rest area in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, left at least two people with food poisoning, the Shiga Prefectural Government said.

The vendor of the poisonous mushrooms, called “tsukiyotake” (moonlight mushrooms), mistook them as edible “hiratake” (oyster mushrooms), Shiga public health officials said Sunday.

The poisonous mushrooms were sold Saturday at a highway rest area in Takashima where local produce is sold to travelers along with other food and snacks. A total of 12 packages with edible wild plants were sold, and the prefecture is urging the public not to eat them.

Two people who bought the packages reported coming down with stomachaches, the prefecture said. Health officials said it takes about 10 days for patients to recover.

LATEST NATIONAL STORIES

A U-shaped system is deployed in the Great Pacific Ocean patch in June.

Dutch inventor Boyan Slat's mission: Shrink Pacific trash patch 90% by 2040: Boyan Slat, 25, is an ambitious social entrepreneur. His goal: Reduce 90 percent of an estimated 80 million kg of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, covering an area more than three times the s...

A police officer blocks an entrance to the Metropolitan Expressway in the Harumi area of Tokyo's Chuo Ward on July 24 as the government conducts a traffic control test.

Tokyo expressway to hike tolls by ¥1,000 to curb traffic during Olympic events: Tokyo's Metropolitan Expressway will adjust tolls for private vehicles during next year's Olympics and Paralympics, charging more when events are held and less in the early hours, the metropolitan ...

Motohiro Ono cheers together with his supporters in the city of Saitama on Sunday after media reported his victory in the Saitama gubernatorial election.

Former Upper House lawmaker Motohiro Ono beats ruling bloc-backed rival to become Saitama governor: With the support of four opposition parties, former Upper House lawmaker Motohiro Ono defeated on Sunday a candidate fielded by the ruling bloc in the Saitama gubernatorial election. The ...