How do you catch fish in water over ten meters deep using a rod that does not have a reel, or even guides for your line? Simple: fashion the rod from bamboo, hollow out the centre and run the line through the middle and out the very end of the rod. Wrap your spare line around a couple of pegs at the other end, and you are ready to indulge in the traditional Japanese fishing technique known as tebane.

I first started using this technique to catch a fish known in Japanese as haze. Its scientific name is Acanthogobius flavimanus; however, there appears to be a lack of consensus over its common name in English, with references calling it spiny goby, yellowfin goby or spotted goby. For the sake of simplicity, from here on I will refer to the creatures as just ‘goby’. Gobies are a small, seasonal fish widespread throughout Pacific Asia, and grow up to 20cm in size; they favor muddy habitats and are tolerant of a wide range of temperature and salinity. The traditional goby fishing season starts in September, when the fish migrate from rivers and estuaries to the sea, in order to spawn. Boats packed with goby fans leave port early in the morning from all over Tokyo and Yokohama, and head to sheltered coves and bay areas where the gobies are known to congregate; although the general regions are fairly well known, each skipper has his own secret spot, usually well-managed and handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. The best goby points are those that are inaccessible from land, preventing others from casting or throwing nets from the shore, and where the waters and tides are relatively calm. When I go fishing for goby, I always use the services of a boathouse called Fukagawa Fujimi, which is located in the southeast of Tokyo. Fujimi is one of the longest-running such businesses in Japan: they have been a family-run affair since before the beginning of the Edo Period, over four hundred years ago. The skipper, a lean, sun-tanned Tokyoite known to regulars as ‘Captain Beard’ due to his whiskers, is famous for both his prowess at catching gobies (which is quite fearsome) and for his no-nonsense, old school approach to not just fishing, but to life in general. Although his countenance is often intimidating to newcomers, he is always happy to take the time to teach beginners – in his thick, east Tokyo accent – the science of traditional goby fishing with bamboo rods, and as a novice I count myself lucky to be able to learn from his vast experience.

Japan, as an island nation, is surrounded by sea: to her east, the vast Pacific Ocean, the west, the Japan Sea and to the north, the Sea of Okhotsk. Correspondingly, Japan is blessed with a great variety of fish and marine life, large quantities of which end up on the nation’s dinner tables. Japan is also fortunate in that her islands span several climate zones. The southern Ryūkyū Islands, including Okinawa, are tropical, and are home to many varieties of reef-dwelling fish and invertebrates; the northern island of Hokkaidō, on the other hand, has a temperate climate similar to a northern European country and is famous for trout, salmon and cod fishing. In between, one is entertained by a multitude of different climes and corresponding aquatic habitats, each with their local specialty produce: the warm, calm Seto Inland Sea provides nori seaweed, giant mudskippers can be caught on the mudflats of Ariake, cool mountain streams burst with rainbow trout in Nagano, the waters about Izu Peninsular are home to sardines and squid that are cured in saltwater and sun-dried by the locals right on the seaside or the famous deep-sea crabs of the Japan Sea, taken and brought to table so rapidly that they can be eaten raw.

In addition, Japan is lucky that the northward flowing, warm ‘Kuroshio Current’ runs parallel with and south of the main islands, bringing with it a huge range of large, migratory food fish such as skipjack, yellowtail and bluefin tuna. Kuroshio literally translates as ‘Black Current’ or ‘Black Tide’ and gains its name from its dark blue colour when viewed from afar; its waters originate in the Tropics and are very warm, allowing coral reefs to thrive further north from the Equator than any other reef system in the world. The volcanic Izu Islands, approximately seventy miles south of the mainland, lie directly in the flow of this current, and are a magnet for big game fishermen from all over Japan seeking that once-in-a-lifetime marlin, amberjack or grouper. There are also many marine and coastal habitats unique to Japan, such as Tokyo Bay and the Seto Inland Sea, which boast endemic species and are rich sources of foodstuffs to entertain the palates of the natives. The recent popularity of sushi and other Japanese-style foods in North America and Europe is testament not only to the great culinary traditions of the country, but also proves that almost anybody can enjoy fish when it is fresh, and prepared correctly.