Freshly caught excitement! Enjoy fixed net fishing during a farm stay in Miyazaki

Kushima City lies on the southernmost tip of Miyazaki Prefecture. A unique and special experience awaits in these beautiful waters, blessed by the warm Kuroshio Current. It’s not a show or attraction made for tourism—it’s a fixed net fishery experience, where you board a boat with real fishermen and head to actual fishing grounds. Rather than simply looking at the stunning scenery, you can get involved with the everyday life of the area and feel the riches of the sea for yourself. This trip unique to a “farm” stay is finally getting started.

The meeting place was Tachiutsu port district in Toi Fishing Port. All the participants were met with a smile by Yoshinari Kawasaki, the captain of the Kaishinmaru and a veteran fisherman dedicated to this style of fishing. Mr. Kawasaki’s open-hearted personality and warm Miyazaki dialect immediately soothed any nerves among the first-time participants. We put on life jackets for safety, and confirmed points to note before boarding. Once the preparations were complete, it was finally time to board the Kaishinmaru, and we left port with anticipation filling our hearts.

Normally, a fisherman’s job starts before dawn while it's still dark, but this experience was set to leave port at around 9 am (we met from 8:30) to make sure tourists can participate without stress. After just 10 minutes of being rocked by the boat, we were able to see the magnificent scenery of Cape Toi from the sea, and we reached the fixed-net point before we knew it. The fishing grounds are located along the coast near the port, with relatively gentle waves—which is great in that people worried about seasickness and children can participate with peace of mind.

After we arrived at the point, it was finally time to start pulling up the nets. At the fishermen’s signal, all the participants stood in a row and picked up the net. With the water inside it, it was much heavier than I had imagined, but we all coordinated our timing and worked to haul it in with exceptional unity. With all our power, the huge net, which had been sunk in the sea, was gradually gathered. As the circle of the net narrowed, we started to feel the presence of the fish, splashing and sending up spray, and the sense of tension on board rose.

As the net’s circle narrowed, the surface of the water started stirring, and the forms of fish emerged, splashing noisily. The fish in the net will vary depending on the season and the day, but could include flying fish, horse mackerel, mackerel, and barracuda. “There’s a huge fish!” people shouted in joy, and the work of hauling the fish onto the boat using the landing net really made me feel like I was a fisherman. The moment I felt the power and weight of the madly jumping fish up close was full of excitement unique to this experience, incomparable to the fish area in a supermarket.

The experience finished after around an hour and a half, and the boat headed back to port. In contrast to the journey out, the atmosphere on the boat was relaxed now that the big job was over. Cruising through the comfortable sea breezes was an extraordinary feeling. Black kites and seabirds danced overhead, aiming for the leftover fish, and we watched them chase the boat as we reached port.

Once we’d returned to port and disembarked, we started sorting the fish we had just caught. The delightful benefit of this experience is that the day’s catch is evenly split between the participants. You’ll need to bring a cooler box to take the fresh fish home. Even if you forget, you can buy some Styrofoam at the port. Fish you caught yourself by pulling in the net are definitely the best souvenir.

Having finished dividing the fish, I was quite hungry after all the morning’s activity. The next destination was Umi no Kokoro, an eatery located right next to Toi Fishing Port. The sweet red and white lighthouse displayed at the entrance serves as a landmark. In fact, this eatery is run by Captain Kawasaki, who had guided us on the Kaishinmaru. When I entered, I found that the captain, who had just been on the boat, had arrived at the kitchen without me realizing it—the sight of him skillfully holding a knife and slicing sashimi heightened my expectations!

Here, we were served the omakase ryoshi teishoku, meaning “chef’s choice fisherman set meal,” made with fresh fish. The sashimi from the fresh catch was completely different to anything you’d normally eat. Its firm, strongly elastic texture is a luxury you can only enjoy right there and then. This fisherman’s cuisine, which made the most of the flavor of the ingredients, included crunchy whole fried flying fish, with the head, pectoral fin, and even the bones, and tasteful perch soup—it certainly went down a treat!
*The content of the chef’s choice fisherman set meal changes each day. As this is a popular eatery, I recommend you book in advance.

“With normal fishing, you’re going full throttle, chasing the fish, right? And if you don't catch them, you go for the next ones. It uses unnecessary oil (gas). But with fixed nets, you set the net in the path of the fish and just wait, so you don't use any oil at all,” Captain Kawasaki explained to us, with a gentle smile.

It’s a simple way of fishing by waiting for the migrating fish, without going against the principles of nature. And that’s why it’s good for the environment. Plus, you only take what you need from the sea. The beautiful waters of Kushima and the wisdom of the people who live there: the sea and the captain taught us about the true riches of living together with nature, which is more than just a delicious taste.