Large painting of a sakura shrimp at the Yui Harbor Fisheries Association Building in Yui, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City
Yui fishermen will tell you that life has become a lot easier with the advent of technology including motorised boats, radar, radio, machine-cotrolled nets and syphons, but they agree it is still a toil to go out every evening during the two seasons in Spring and Autumn.
Now, how hard was it not so long ago?
pulling the nets by hand!
Now, if you stroll along the street running along the shore of Yui, you will discover some vending machines adorned with copies of all paintings on the life of Yui Cherry Shrimps Fishermen which will give you a good idea of the hard toil local fishermen had to go through!
Pulling up the nets full of sakura shrimp.
It has always been a team work!
Pulling the boats to shore by hand!
Unloading the baskets full of Cherry shrimps.
The fishermen used to spend half of the night separating the shrimps from small fish.
Only ten years they started syphoning up the shrimps directly from the nets inti the the boxes.
A lot of damage to the quality as they dropped baskets inside the nets and shoveled their contents into boxes.
Now the job is far more efficiently done with very little damage.
Every morning after the cheery shrimps had been sorted out the fishermen had to auction their catch.
Now it is all taken care of by the Association and fishermen can hit the sack after midnight!
in the old days, fishermen gathered around food and drink before sleeping in daytime!
Now, they can sleep between midnight and noon!
Now the habor is completely walled in and the ships do not have to pulled upshore everyday except during the off seasons when they are being scrapped and repaired.
And now the Association is taking care of allotting the departure times and destinations everyday!
If you happen to be in Yui make a point to visit the new Yui Harbor fisheries Association Building where you will discover some interesting photographs!
It is located the new part of the harbor!
People there are shy but I’m sure you will find an old hand willing to relate old times!
All these pictures were taken back in 1963!
Pulling the boats upshore!
Unloading the Cherry shrimps!
Boats coming back to harbor!
Unloading the catch!
Blood, sweat and tears!
Traditional Fisherman’s gear!
Now they wear what they want under waterproof overalls and boots!
The beavhes have now been replaced with a safe harbor!
But for all the great improvements my old samurai friend will be the first to tell you this is still bleedin’ hard work!
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