Ayu Trap

This is a photo of an ayu trap in Ohtawara-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. It was taken by my mother, Lynda, when she visited me in 1992.

The ayu (アユ, 鮎, 年魚, 香魚 ) is known as the Japanese sweetfish, and for once, the name aptly matches the item, as this six to eight-inch fish, when cooked over embers is delicious!  

Placed along a fast moving river, fish are essentially herded up towards the ayu trap with the raging waters... the fish go high up along the trap, but the water slips down through the cracks in the bamboo ramp leaving the fish hung out to dry.

It's incredibly simple in its methodology, but obviously the whole trap looks like it takes a fair bit of work to construct.

While I have always joked (seriously) about it raining whenever I traveled in Japan (I am the ame otoku - rain man), my mother seemed to counter my jinx, and we - the people of Japan - had spectacular weather for the two weeks she was there.  

Cheers
Andrew Joseph