Ayu and Cormorant Fishing: Gifu's Nagara River Food Tradition

Ayu (sweetfish) is a small freshwater fish that lives in Japan's clean rivers and is strongly associated with Gifu's Nagara River, where a form of traditional fishing called ukai uses trained cormorants on leashes to catch the fish for their handlers. The practice has continued in Gifu City for well over a thousand years, historically under imperial patronage, and is now as much a cultural performance for visitors as a fishing method, typically run as an evening show during the warmer months.

Ayu is most commonly salt-grilled whole (shioyaki) over charcoal until the skin crisps, then eaten bones and all, including the slightly bitter innards, which are considered part of the fish's appeal rather than something to avoid. It has a delicate, faintly sweet flavor often described as tasting like the clean river water it grew up in. The fishing and dining season generally runs from around May through October; outside those months fresh ayu is harder to find, so check current timing if this matters to your trip.