Moved down along the river to a settlement of Nakano tou, the valley somewhat opens up, the river gaining fair width. The water is still gin clear making fishing even tougher, but hey, what a pleasing sight!

We took lodging in a small inn, Jinyanosato, where we were treated with plethora of local delicacies - including wild boar.

The lodge apparently was a regular meeting place for all the cats in the neighbourhood..

With that, the local speciality, charcoal grilled poultry has become a must eat.

Though not very appetizing in looks, they were indeed very tasty!

to Kyusyu in May - 4

We fished the upper reach of Mimi river. Rugged, and beautiful river she is.

Here again, Enoha trout kept us entertained the whole afternoon. Enoha appeared much quicker than our regular Amego trout, not to speak of the ever friendly Gogi chars. Now facing this closely related but more agile opponent, the game proved to be even more fun and thrilling.

The Mimi river system is managed by Shi-ba fishery, and a day ticket valid for the entire (big) village is readily issued for mere thousand yen ($10). A very reasonable arrangement I'm very much thankful.

By comparison, also famous nearby Gokase river system charges as much as 3k yen per day, while only 5k per a whole year.

This sounds rather unwelcoming to visiting anglers like us, and the resulting lack of patron fishermen may even deliver counter effects in inviting poachers.

After wandering around Takachiho, we drove again back west, to Sheeba, the remotest village of Miyazaki.

The village is so deeply hidden behind the steep mountains, getting there is tiring enough even with modern transportation. It was here in the late 12th century when Hei-shi clan, overthrown by the rival warlord Gen-ji clan, sought refuge at the end of their tragic exile from Kyoto.

Down town Miyazaki added yet another flavour to our trip.Higashikokubaru, the former comedian turned governor has gained such a popularity that even the city hall has become a tourist attraction.

In the evening we explored upper most part of Mimi river. Though a very narrow stream, occasional reports of lake-grown, big Enoha up to 45cm are heard here.

No sign of such monster fish for the day, but the clarity of the water was striking. Totally beguiling our previous perception of Kyu-syu, the land of fire, as commonly called.

A thing worth considering is to offer a fish & stay package deal. When I asked if many of the lodge guests are fishermen, they replied that most fishers come sleep in their cars, fish the day and drive straight home.

With a more guest-friendly fishing arrangement, there's a opportunity for them to make better business, and for us to harvest the enjoyment to the fullest.

As the day turned into evening, we began to see a dramatic increase of caddis hatches, and resulting activities on the water. Again no trophy fish to write home about, but we had a very happy fishing worth a memory.