Awaji Island in Fishing experience

• Age 6～Age 100
• 2～3 hours
• 10:00

Wild red sea bream caught at Maruyama Fishing Port, overlooking the Onaruto Bridge, is famous as a representative sea bream of Awaji Island, and has a history of being presented to the Emperor in four eras from the Taisho era to the Reiwa era. Two generations of fishermen who know the Naruto Strait inside and out will guide you while fishing for wild red sea bream in a fishing ground with an excellent location overlooking the Onaruto Bridge. Board a fishing boat with a fisherman who knows the fishing ground inside and set off to fish for wild red sea bream! Instead of relying on a fish finder, they look at the direction of the mountains and cast their nets. This fishing method, called Gochiami fishing, is said to be difficult to catch unless you are an experienced fisherman, as the net is cast at a pinpoint while identifying the tide. This fishing method involves creating an encircling shape with an oval net and tugs tied to both ends, which narrows the net to intimidate and drive the fish into the net, where they are caught by getting entangled in the mesh. While catching fish, the fishermen will demonstrate and explain how to "release the air" from the swim bladders, which are inflated by the difference in water pressure, to keep the fish fresh, and the different types of fish. Usually, fishing by casting and pulling the net is done several times a day, but on this tour, you will only see it once or twice. After that, they will return to port and land the fish. You can see up close the craftsmanship of reading the tides and casting the net to the right spot without waste. You can also purchase the fish caught on the day of the experience. ■Experience Schedule10:00 Gathering (This may change depending on the tides on the day. In that case, the Awaji Island Tourism Association will contact you.)10:05 Preliminary explanation (about Achi net fishing and safety precautions)10:15 Depart from Maruyama Fishing Port (Depart for fishing experience)11:15 Return to Maruyama Fishing Port11:20 Return to port, landing of fish, sorting12:00 Scheduled end

• Age 6～Age 100
• 1～2 hours
• 10:30

Visit the Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association's unique fish auction with a professional fisherman and broker who also supplies fish to famous fish markets such as Toyosu Market, high-end restaurants, and Michelin-starred restaurants. Experience the lively fishing town of Yura Port, a natural harbor with the largest variety of fish landed on Awaji Island. Yura Port is located in the exact center of the eastern side of Awaji Island. With the Kitan Strait stretching out before it and a wide fishing ground stretching from Osaka Bay to the Pacific Ocean, Yura Port is known as a natural harbor, and in addition to high-end fish such as sea bream and conger eel, about 150 types of fresh seafood are landed each season. This time, you will sneak into the Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association auction, which is usually only open to those involved, together with a professional fisherman who also supplies fish to markets and high-end restaurants nationwide. This is a valuable private tour experience that is held once a day and is limited to a maximum of four people. You can watch the auction right next to the fishermen, have them guide you around the fishing port, and enjoy the atmosphere of the local fishing town, with the people working energetically at Yura Port. [Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association auction] The fishermen themselves line up crates of fish one after another on a wooden platform. The fishermen instantly select the fish, quickly write the purchase price in chalk on palm-sized rectangular plates, and throw them one after another into a designated box-like area, where the person inside the box wins the bid to the highest bidder. This is a unique system of the Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association. It only takes a few tens of seconds, but you can see the tension and speed of the professional scene with your own eyes. This process is repeated over and over, and once again the fish are selected, the price is decided, and the bill is thrown in. During this time, fresh fish are brought in one after another from the boats docked at the port. This auction continues for about an hour. In the past, on days with a large catch, the auction would continue until the evening. ■Schedule10:30 Meet at Yura Fishing Port (Market) (Meet Awajishima Suisan Yamaguchi, a professional fisherman)10:35 Take a tour of Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association with Yamaguchi, a professional fishermanFirst, he shows us one fresh fish after another caught in the waters off Awaji Island, such as sea bream, flounder, horse mackerel, hairtail, octopus, abalone, and turban shells, before they are shipped to markets at high prices. After listening to an explanation of the unique auction method of Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association, we move to the auction site. The auction finally begins.11:30 Visit to Yura Fisheries Cooperative Association auction (Go to the auction site with Yamaguchi, a professional fisherman)Professional fisherman Yamaguchi will participate in the auction. Everyone can observe the auction up close. (Please observe within the designated area.) 12:00 Auction observation ends and the auction disbands. (Yamaguchi is currently participating in the auction. We apologize for not being able to see you off properly. Please be careful on your way home.)

• For Rainy Days

• Age 6～Age 100
• 2～3 hours
• 10:00

Fish caught in the Nada area, south of Awaji Island, are eaten in sushi restaurants in Tokyo. You can board a fishing boat with a veteran fisherman who makes a living from fixed net fishing. He usually landes his catch at 15 locations a day, but on this tour you will visit one of them. It is a valuable experience to learn how fixed net fishing works, the secret of the deliciousness of the fish caught here, and the hardships they endured. You can also purchase the fish caught that day. You can board a fishing boat with the fisherman and observe fixed net fishing up close. When you arrive at the fishing ground where the fixed net is set, the fisherman will pull up the net called a box net with the fish caught in it. He uses a machine halfway, but at the end he pulls up the heavy rope by hand. Normally he does this work at 15 locations a day. After a while, you can hear trivia such as how to distinguish between male and female fish and the species of fish caught that day, the secret of their deliciousness, and the hardships they endured. Apparently, some of the requests are quite unusual, coming from affiliated aquariums who say, "If you catch this fish, please let us know!" After that, the fish return to port and are lifted into the tanks at the landing area. This is hard work, but it's a cool sight to see the fishermen smoothly unloading the catch. After the experience, you can also purchase the fish that were landed that day and go home. ■Experience Schedule10:00 Meet up (This may change depending on the tides on the day. In that case, the Awaji Island Tourism Association will contact you.)10:05 Preliminary briefing (about fixed net fishing and safety precautions)10:15 Depart from Nada Fishing Port (Depart for fishing experience)11:15 Return to Nada Fishing Port11:20 Landing and sorting of fish12:00 Scheduled end