Featured

fish

Newly Released Sardines Disappear After Two Days in Kobe Aquarium

Newly Released Sardines Disappear After Two Days in Kobe Aquarium

Most people have probably wondered why fish on different levels of the food chain peacefully coexist together in aquariums. Every day, workers do their best to keep the fish well-fed to prevent any wayward snacking, so even though giant sharks slice through the temperature-controlled waters, none of the smaller fish go missing. However, when the sharks revert back to their normal feeding frenzy habits, it can have dramatic results as seen this past week at Kobe’s Suma Aqualife Park.

Read More

Tsukiji Fish Market Vendor Releases Tuna For Home Assembly

Tsukiji Fish Market Vendor Releases Tuna For Home Assembly

If you’ve ever been to Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo (the largest seafood market in the world), then you’ve probably dodged speeding forklifts, gotten lost in a maze of stalls, and seen professionals wielding metre-long knives, filleting expensive tuna according to traditional methods that go back centuries.

Well now you can take the Tsukiji experience home with you (minus those pesky forklifts) thanks to a special bluefin tuna designed and manufactured by Yamawa, a third generation fish wholesaler from the markets.

Read More

Outrage as Locals Ignore Casualties in Favour of Spilled Freight After Crash

Outrage as Locals Ignore Casualties in Favour of Spilled Freight After Crash

In the early hours of Monday morning this week, a truck scattered its nine-ton load of fresh fish across the surface of the road after crashing and flipping over on a freeway in China. As word spread of the terrible accident, droves of people quickly arrived on the scene, causing further traffic jams and making the situation yet more perilous as they descended on the cargo, armed with plastic bags or various sizes.

Read More

Man Leaves Box of Fish at Japanese Orphanage (This is a Good Thing)

Man Leaves Box of Fish at Japanese Orphanage (This is a Good Thing)

Just a few weeks after the heartwarming story of an evil villain donating backpacks to a Japanese orphanage, comes another tale of anonymous Japanese winter philanthropy, this time from Toyama prefecture.

At around 2:30 pm on December 8, a female staff member at an orphanage in Takaoka city noticed a man pulling up in a white vehicle and placing three large boxes, two styrofoam and one cardboard, at the base of a telephone pole near the entrance. The man, who seemed to be in his 30s, beckoned the staff member over with his hand and, without saying anything, left the boxes and drove off.

In the cardboard box were five daikon, or Japanese radishes. In the styrofoam boxes were two large, plump yellowtail, accompanied by a letter that read: “The men of the ocean have braved billowing waves, putting their lives on the line for these kan-buri (winter yellowtail).” The letter was signed: “Yours truly  A Man Who Loves the Ocean”.

At first, vegetables and fish may seem like a rather strange combination to leave outside an orphanage, but the man had actually gifted the children with a luxurious winter feast: winter yellowtail are a major seasonal delicacy that normally sell for anywhere between 30-40,000 yen ($350-$480) a fish. 

Read More

Whole Lotta Fish 【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

Whole Lotta Fish 【You, Me, And A Tanuki】

You, Me, And a Tanuki is a weekly featured blog run by Michelle, a Californian who is currently one of only two foreigners living in Chibu, a tiny fishing village on one of the Oki islands in Japan. Check back every Saturday for a new post or read more on her website here!

If I ever have a craving for fish, I just have to stand out in front of my house and wait for a fisherman to drive by (which won’t take too long since I live on an island).  Last Monday I was waiting outside with my husband to be picked up for a work party when the taxi driver (who is also a fisherman) drove by.  He stopped his little K-truck and asked if we wanted some fish.  I said yes and he proceeded to fill a plastic grocery bag with around 20 flying fish, 4 long scary looking fish, 3 or so pokey fish, and a weird purple/blue crab (sorry, he said the names in Japanese so quickly that I didn’t manage to remember them all.  Any fish experts, please tell me what they are in the comments section below).

Read More

Mutant Fish with Transparent Scales Discovered at Japanese Fishery…Among 300,000 Regular Opaque Fish

Mutant Fish with Transparent Scales Discovered at Japanese Fishery…Among 300,000 Regular Opaque Fish

The ayu, or sweetfish, is a summer delicacy in Japan. Usually coated in salt and grilled over a charcoal fire, the fish is known for its refreshingly sweet taste and is consumed widely by Japanese people every year.

While a typical specimen is similar to a small trout in appearance, an ayu with translucent scales was discovered at a fishery in Gifu prefecture late last month.

We think the issue here isn’t why this happened, but how on earth were they able to spot the little guy…

Read More

Hundreds of Stingrays Spotted Swimming Upstream in Japan and No One Knows Why

Hundreds of Stingrays Spotted Swimming Upstream in Japan and No One Knows Why

An alarming number of red stingrays have been spotted swimming upstream in the Isumi river in Chiba, Japan several times since Tuesday.

Read More