Overview
The Kiso River is a river in Japan roughly 229 km long, flowing through the prefectures of Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie before emptying into Ise Bay a short distance away from the city of Nagoya. It is the main river of the Kiso Three Rivers.
Description
Ukai is a traditional fishing method making use of the natural fishing skills of cormorants. From aboard their boats, ukai fishermen in their classical attire use their skillful rope technique to control about 10 cormorants each and catch sweetfish and other river fish. This fishing method has a long history—it has been practiced for around 1300 years. Today, ukai is still practiced at more than 10 places nationwide, and here on the Kiso River, visitors can watch this intriguing method of fishing up close (reservation required). Visitors can have this experience in the daytime, something you won't find anywhere else. On a nighttime run, you can feel the water splashed by the cormorants and the heat from the fire used in the fishing.