UNIORB: ASIAN TREND: JAPAN

ayu fish

When the Japanese summer gets too sultry and unbearable, all I can think about is something cool. I want to eat something cool, or drink something cool, or jump into something cool…

I remember one such summer. While most Japanese swarmed crowded beaches and water slides, my friends took me on a short drive away from Tokuyama, a coastal town at the southwestern tip of Honshu, Japan's largest island. We climbed up a winding road and arrived at  the remote Kitani-kyo watershed region, where campers pitched their tents upstream along a tributary, and sportsmen fished downstream along the Nishiki River.

Located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kitani-kyo is one heavenly escape, blessed with water, rocks, and trees. Once the snow starts to melt in April, the Nishiki River carries volumes of cold, clean water down the mountains. This massive river draws anglers to fish for one of Japan's favorite catches: ayu (sweetfish). As a popular Japanese dish, it is eaten three ways: fried, broiled with salt,  or as sushi. 

With sharp teeth and sleek bodies like river trout, ayu feed near riverbeds, are fiercely territorial, and will attack any other fish entering their habitats. Decoy fishing is the secret to catching the aggressive ayu. Interestingly, a live ayu is attached as bait to snare other ayu. With four hooks dangling from its belly, and a fishing line running through its gills, the weakened ayu bait is still lively in the water. 

On my first attempt at ayu fishing, surrounded by the beauty of nature, I watched anglers skillfully and patiently snaring ayu before gently pulling them out of the water with their nets. Every fisherman flashed a broad grin as he lifted the prize catch dangling at the end of his line.

After a series of wild overhead throws, flinging the line into treetops, or bashing the poor live bait against the boulders, I was lucky enough to master the casting rhythm and plop the bait into the water. I was luckier still to ensnare a few ayu, and I also smiled broadly at my first catch of the day.

Kitani-kyo is an ideal place to escape mental stress, sweltering heat, and daily monotony. In the early mornings, instead of waking to alarm clocks and roaring traffic, we awoke to the sounds of gurgling water and chirping birds. In the hot afternoons, instead of hanging out by the water cooler, we took a dip in the deep refreshing pool. And in the evenings, instead of falling asleep in front of the TV, we enjoyed grilled ayu as we counted the stars that lit up the night.

Ayu fishing at Kitani-Kyo has made the sweltering summer season not only bearable, but great fun!

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