December 12 is "Hatahata Day" designated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Oga City, Akita Prefecture. In Oga City, a Shinto ceremony was held to wish for a bountiful catch of grouper this season.
December 12 is statistically the day when the "seasonal grouper fishing" begins, which takes groupers that approach the coast to spawn, so the Oga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry has designated it as "Grouper Day".
On the 6th, 6 people, including members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and local officials, gathered for a Shinto ceremony and offered a ball skewer to pray for a bountiful catch this season.
Mr. Tsugio Yamamoto of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who proposed the establishment of "Grouper Day," said, "I prayed for the great catch of grouper and the safety of fishermen.
At the fishing port of Kitaura, Oga City, which once boasted the largest catch in Japan, fishermen raised the nets jointly set up on the morning of the 6th, but there were only a few salmon and no grouper.
Fisherman Tsuyoshi Nishikata said, "It's worse than last year, when we didn't catch a fish, but I think there will be times when we can catch it once, so we want to keep a positive attitude."