Kawaramachi Izumiya

This ayu cuisine restaurant is located along the Nagara River, where rows of traditional lattice-fronted houses preserve the atmosphere of old Japan. Just a 5-minute walk from the cormorant fishing excursion boat pier, the area is also a popular sightseeing destination.

During the cormorant fishing season, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. Only course meals are served during peak periods, offering ayu from grilled ayu sushi wrapped in bamboo leaves to ayu rice porridge. Weekends are almost certain to be fully booked, so reservations are recommended. To enjoy ayu while watching the cormorant fishing, you can also order an “Ayu Bento” at least 2 days in advance and bring it aboard.

The wild ayu served here are caught using tomozuri, a traditional method in which a decoy ayu is used to hook another fish. They are mainly Gujo Ayu from the Gujo area of the Nagara River and Wara Ayu from the Wara River. The charcoal-grilled salted ayu is slowly cooked for around 30–40 minutes so that it can be eaten whole, from head to bone, resulting in an exquisite texture and flavor.

One distinctive way to experience ayu here is to replace the ayu rice porridge served at the end of a course meal with ayu ramen for an additional charge. The ramen features a broth made with fish sauce produced from wild ayu, topped with a sun-dried butterflied ayu grilled over charcoal until crisp. The light broth is filled with the rich flavor of ayu.