Happy Canada Day, for anyone out there who's Canadian. It's July 1st here in Sumita, which means it's the first day of "ayu" (sweetfish) season. Since early last night, there have been dozens of trucks, tents and camping vehicles parked at the side of the river just in my neighbourhood alone, waiting for the 4AM start. Many local men take the day off as a holiday to spend the day in hip-waders. Fishing for ayu is interesting as well. Anglers use fly rods to catch them, but since ayu are territorial fish, the anglers keep a live ayu (bought at a local tackle shop) in a small cage near them to attract their prey.

Ayu is a nice summertime treat. It's quite mild to eat, and is usually salted on the outside and cooked(whole, minus the entrails) over hot coals.