May 11

Today marks the 鵜飼開き (Ukai-biraki), the official opening of the cormorant fishing season on the Nagara River.

With a history spanning over 1,300 years, this tradition begins each year on this day. The sight of master fishers skillfully guiding cormorants by the light of flaming torches reflecting on the water is a quintessential scene of early summer in Japan.

The history of Ukai is so ancient that it is even mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, Japan's oldest chronicles. This unique fishing method allows the cormorants to stun the fish instantly, keeping them unblemished and remarkably fresh. Due to this exceptional quality, the fish caught this way have been highly prized as tribute gifts since ancient times.

It is a day to celebrate the enduring beauty of Japanese tradition—a harmony of ancestral wisdom and skill preserved through a millennium.