Otaru and the fishing trip

2 days ago June-chan invited me to go fishing with him. Kei (his son) and his wife Na-chan usually don’t go fishing, so to have a partner was exciting for him (or so I thought). He asked me if I had ever gone fishing and I told him that my dad had taught me to fly fish, but never ocean fishing.

Before we left for Otaru we had to get bait. Near the edge of Atsubetsu-ku is a tackle and bait shop. For the most part of my stay here, most stores are pretty small and often don’t have what you’re looking for. This tackle store, however, was huge and had all sorts of fishing lures, bates, rods and poles (bamboo, wood, glass, graphite, etc.), outfits, rod holders, boots, waders, watches, knifes, tackle, and tackle boxes that would all blow your mind. I guess Hokkaido is a fishing place!

While June was getting the stuff to fish, I was meandering over all the Japanese fishing goods. It was obvious Japanese people take their fishing seriously. 20 minutes later June was ready, he had bought me a pole, bate, line, you name it. We were prepared for war against the fish. It was time to roll.

This was the first time I had been on the open road in Japan. Highways here are supposed to be convenient and this one didn’t fail. This highway only went from Sapporo to Otaru. What’s different (well I guess different from Portland) is that you have to pay a toll to get on and a toll to get off. In exchange for a small toll of 400 yen you get a clear two lane highway (fast and slow). The speed limit on the highway was 80 kph which if you do the math (80 x 6= 480 then drop the last digit) equates to 48 mph. That might seem pretty slow, but people usually do 100 kph (60mph) here plus Otaru is nearby so the trip was pretty short.

The weather for today in Otaru was mostly cloudy with a chance for rain. Maybe the weather man was asleep because once it started raining, the wind blew hard. When the wind blew hard, the rain came down harder. It all just made for a soggy adventure.

The first spot was a dud. So we moved to another which was also a dud. So we went to another and that was a dud. So the fishing trip became an exploration of Hokkaido’s vast coast. June says that when it’s clear the fish bite a lot and it’s a lot more tolerable. Standing out there, I felt like I was back in Portland, maybe somewhere along the Columbia. It felt good to feel wind and rain. Weird eh?

Fishing Japanese style is similar to fishing off of Huntington Beach. You can’t cast without a license, but you can drop hooks without a license. We did what was allowed and dropped bait laden hooks into the murky waters of the Japan Sea.

While our luck was wavering, June was intent on fishing. He wizzed through the gear setting it up like some Japanese master. June reminded me of a passage in Ernest Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea. Watching June was a sight to see. I was able to catch this photo of the Fishing Sensei in action. From watching him and other Japanese guys fish it looked like, through all the modernity that is slowly fading old Japanese traditions, this activity seems like it bonded the man with his roots. I guess this isn't mutually exclusive, all cultures probabally have some activity that has transended modernity and when one or more people do it they too are connecting with their past, it was all kinda spiritual in a way. Perhaps, I'm wrong and it's just that fishing is fun, and June was showing off his honed skills. Whatever the case, he made it fun to go out and fish in those harsh conditions.

Anyway, we were having fun moving from one spot to the next. The fishermen who were pretty experienced said the good fish were not biting their lines either so I guess it wasn't our day.

That didn't stop us from exploring Hokkaido. June-chan wanted to check out some places he'd never been before. I'm guessing that Kei isn't all into exploring new places or atleast going out fishing new spots with his dad, but me I was game. So for some unknown reason, him and I started traveling the Hokkaido countryside enjoying the scenery and taking in the fresh air of the less traveled part of Hokkaido.

From what I could tell, outside of Sapporo and Ebetsu is mostly countryside and farmlands. The coast is real simular to the pacific coast on the Oregon side (i.e. cold, misty rain, salty air, and fishing boats). Driving along we saw ships from all over. There was one ship that had three white guys hanging over the rail, I waved to them and said "goodmorning" they waved back and said "Dobroye utro" (good morning in Russian) I forgot that Otaru does a lot of fishing trade with Russia. I thought it was pretty cool to see a real mix of people here.

Eventually we drove all over and ended up at a beach. We got out and saw a lot of people kite boarding, windsurfing, and salmon fishing. The view from the beach was beautiful. The Hokkaido Mountain ranges were in the background and the Japanese Sea seemed like it streached for miles.

The beach sand was a dark brown. I couldn't tell you why, but it was pretty different from Oregon beaches. There were also many people camping out here. From what I could discern there weren't any state parks to pay or regulations for fishing. Here it seemed like if you wanted to camp, you brought a tent and some wood, and some food and then you set it up. Just looking around I say plenty of great camping spots too. Hokkaido is full of great mountainous hikes and camping spots. The family told me they often camp at either the beach or at this lake. Some day I'll go and check them out.

It wasn't long before we called it a day and headed back home. The host mom went and bought some salmon and made a really good salmon meal. While I know the day could of been better, I told June that this was one the greatest days I've had here.

~J out