Vol.7

Shimanto River Pleasure Boat Broadcasting System

- A boatman's voice echoing over the surface of Japan's most limpid river -
Shimanto River Pleasure Boat Broadcasting System

Ayu (weetfish) in summer,river crabs in autumn, river laver in winter.

These are a few of the bounties peaple receive from a river left in its natural state.

A boatman tells travelers many things about the river, including simple fishing devices, cast nets and other traditional fishing techniques used there.

His voice wakes travelers' childhoods, a time when their lives were in harmony with nature.

The Shimanto River is a unique, miraculous river in Japan. It meanders through hills and fields in Kochi Prefecture over a distance of 200 km and falls into the Pacific. The stream is fantastically limpid and beautiful around the river mouth where the river rushes into the ocean with the high waves of the Kuroshio current.

The river is characterized not only by its impressive clearness and scenic beauty but also by the fact that nature remains virtually untouched thanks to the small
altitude difference between upstream and downstream and the absence of artificial dams.
Ecologically, the downstream basin is a natural treasure house: it is a habitat for a diversity of aquatic flora and fauna, many of which are unique to this spot.

The river's mysterious beauty attracts many people. An elegant houseboat guides travelers upriver. The glittering water surface looks as if one could touch it through the boat window. At a glance, it may look like many other beautiful landscapes found throughout Japan, but its uniqueness and real charm are gradually disclosed by the boatman speaking proudly through a microphone.

"This area is a brackish water zone in which meet the waters of the river and the sea.
This river's brackish water zone is the best in Japan."

It is several kilometers away from the river mouth though it is still a downstream area. However, the air of the riverside has the smell of salt water. He says that this brackish water zone is a breeding bed for many kinds of aquatic creatures including sea and river fishes, shrimp and green laver.

"Look! It seems they've caught Japanese mitten crabs. This kind of crab will be in season for the table soon."

In the river, one fisherman on a small boat casts a net and another dips up fish trapped in a simple device made of a bundle of branches, with a large net.

The boatman exchanges words with the fishermen. He explains the traditional fishing methods used in the river. Apparently, using only cast nets, they can catch many kinds of fish and shellfish, even saltwater fish such as black porgies under some condition of the current.

"In the Shimanto River, you can catch saltwater fishes, too. Do you believe that it is possible to catch fish here that are brought by the Kuroshio current from somewhere far away in the ocean such as the Great Barrier Reef?"

Enjoying seeing travelers surprised at his words, the boatman continues the explanation.

"Look at the bridge girder. You can see the trace of the swollen river water. When the river is flooding, the water level rises up as high as ten meters, in spite of its great width."

The river has no dams, so it sometimes rages. As travelers learn the river's great potential power and energy, they are deeply impressed to realize that this is an uncommon place where people truly harmonize with nature, enjoying its benefits rather than trying to control it.