Octopus Shore Hunting Tours

Tour participants can enjoy octopushunting, an autumn tradition on Awashima Island. Tours are held three times a day on Saturdays and Sundays from September through October. Anyone elementary school aged and older can master the unique local technique, which involves dangling a bamboo pole with a red cloth wrapped on one end in front of an octopus and scooping it out of the water when it latches on with its tentacles. Because hunting is conducted on a shallow shore, you don’t need a particularly robust coat or other heavy ocean fishing gear. Contests are sometimes held to see who can catch the largest octopus, with the top catchers receiving awards and local specialty products as prizes. An advance application is required, so be sure to apply with plenty of time before the day you intend to go.