Takada is intimately connected to the land, and when we stop, he scans the area for deer, bear and birds. Together, these animals contribute to the habitat that supports the fish below, he says. The interplay between flora and fauna is critical to a healthy fish population, a mutually dependent relationship that he, and the Ainu people of this region, respects.

“When I was young, I came here with my father. He heard noises when he was fishing and called out to me: ‘What are you doing?’ He thought I was in the water, splashing and scaring the fish. I told him I wasn’t. Then two hunters came by and asked: ‘Did you see the bear?'”