Seki Trip Overview
On this English guided tour you will get an up-close look at a Japanese traditional fishing method with more than 1300 years of tradition.
・Observe the traditional Japanese fishing method with a history of more than 1,300 years
・One of the few cormorant fishing in Japan that has been used by the Imperial Household Agency for over 120 years
・Watch how the master fishermen feed the cormorants and live with them like a family
・Enjoy the sounds of nature created by traditional fishing, selected as oneof 100 soundscapes of Japan
・Cormorant fishermen themselves teach you how to fish cormorants in English
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours
Starts: Seki, Japan
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Seki Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Seki, Gifu, Japan
On this English guided tour you will get an up-close look at a Japanese traditional fishing method with more than 1300 years of tradition.
・Observe the traditional Japanese fishing method with a history of more than 1,300 years
・One of the few cormorant fishing in Japan that has been used by the Imperial Household Agency for over 120 years
・Watch how the master fishermen feed the cormorants and live with them like a family
・Enjoy the sounds of nature created by traditional fishing, selected as oneof 100 soundscapes of Japan
・Cormorant fishermen themselves teach you how to fish cormorants in English
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Nagara River, Japan
Cormorant Fishing Viewing (90 minutes)
Ukai is a traditional fishing method making use of the natural fishing skills of cormorants. This fishing method has a long history, which has been practiced for over 1300 years. There are many cormorant fishing sites all over Japan, but only Oze-Ukai and Nagaragawa-Ukai are the most prestigious cormorant fishing serving as purveyors to the Imperial Household. Because of the great skills of the fishing masters, they have received the official title of “Cormorant Fishermen of the Imperial Household Agency,” and the cormorant fishing in Seki City is regarded as the best.
In this tour of Oze-Ukai, you can see the sophisticated traditional sound of boatmen rowing the boats, cormorants diving in pursuit of fish, and the calls of the boatmen guiding cormorants under the lights of bonfires in pitch darkness. The bonfires in total darkness are fantastic, and the sound of cormorant fishing in the silence has been selected as one of 100 soundscapes of Japan.
After watching the cormorant fishing, visitors can also take a backyard tour to see how the cormorants are fed and hear the stories of the cormorant fishermen.
Visitors can learn more about the history of cormorants and their inherited culture.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Seki Yusen Co. – Cormorant Fishing Viewing, 76-3 Oze, Seki, Gifu 501-3265, Japan
Cormorant fishing Introduction (10 minutes)
Quick Cormorant Fishing Facilities Backyard Tour (20 minutes)
Ukai is a traditional fishing method making use of the natural fishing skills of cormorants. This fishing method has a long history, which has been practiced for over 1300 years. There are many cormorant fishing sites all over Japan, but only Oze-Ukai and Nagaragawa-Ukai are the most prestigious cormorant fishing serving as purveyors to the Imperial Household. Because of the great skills of the fishing masters, they have received the official title of “Cormorant Fishermen of the Imperial Household Agency,” and the cormorant fishing in Seki City is regarded as the best.
In this tour of Oze-Ukai, you can see the sophisticated traditional sound of boatmen rowing the boats, cormorants diving in pursuit of fish, and the calls of the boatmen guiding cormorants under the lights of bonfires in pitch darkness. The bonfires in total darkness are fantastic, and the sound of cormorant fishing in the silence has been selected as one of 100 soundscapes of Japan.
After watching the cormorant fishing, visitors can also take a backyard tour to see how the cormorants are fed and hear the stories of the cormorant fishermen.
Visitors can learn more about the history of cormorants and their inherited culture.
Duration: 30 minutes
