Enjoy Ayu (Sweetfish) and River Traditions in Japan - Motegi

After hiking Mt. Kamakura in Motegi, I always visit Oose Yana.
The Naka River here is fast like a flowing pool. The wind is cool and feels nice after walking in the mountains.

On the last Sunday of summer vacation, many families come to play. Children wave nets and try to catch tiny fish.
Be careful! Rivers can be dangerous. Parents, please watch your kids.

Yana fishing is a traditional way to catch fish. People build a wooden trap in the river. In autumn, fish like ayu (sweetfish) swim down the river to lay eggs. The trap catches them.

Did you know? Salmon swim up rivers to lay eggs, but ayu swim down.

Baby ayu go to the sea in winter, then come back in spring.

Yana fishing has been used in Japan for over 1300 years. It is written about in Japan’s oldest books, Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.

Old bones of ayu (sweetfish) were found at Jomon and Yayoi sites. This shows that ayu has been part of Japanese life for a very long time.

In Chinese, it is called “xiang yu (fish with a nice smell).” 
In English, it is called “sweetfish.”
It smells nice and tastes good. It is also good for your health.

At Oose Yana, you can eat grilled ayu and ayu rice. It’s very tasty!　Some visitors speak Chinese. This place is now popular with tourists from other countries.

🐟 Popular Tourist Yana Fishing Sites in Japan
📍 Aichi Prefecture
•     Kansagawa Hiromi Yana (Shinshiro City)
📍 Tochigi Prefecture
•     Nasu Tourist Yana (Nasu Town, Nasu District)
•     Okamoto Tourist Yana (Utsunomiya City)
•     Kurobane Tourist Yana (Ōtawara City)
•     Shimozawa Yana (Kanuma City)
•     Ōse Yana (Motegi Town, Haga District)
•     Ayu-no-Sato Yazawa Yana (Nasukarasuyama City)