Cormorant fishing, a traditional summer event in Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, began on the Hiji River after being delayed -- for the first time -- by over a month and a half due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Preventive measures were taken such as checking visitors' temperatures and sanitizing their hands before riding in boats, and boatmen wore masks.
About 30 tourists, on six boats, enjoyed ayu sweetfish dishes as they travelled downriver waiting for the sun to set.
Cormorant fishing boats, with fire torches blazing, arrived at about 8 p.m.
Tourists applauded when five cormorants reined by 54-year-old cormorant fisherman Toshikazu Inoue emerged from the river with ayu in their beaks.
Cormorant fishing can be enjoyed on the Hiji River until Sept. 29.
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