The Empire of Japan is chiefly made up of islands. The waters round about it are full of food fish. Fish are, therefore, a large part of the meat diet of the people. This is especially true since there are so few farm animals raised. Fish are served at a Japanese meal both cooked and raw. Fish are kept alive in the markets in water so they can be served fresh. Peddlers go through the country on foot, carrying basins of water containing live fish. All kinds of fish are to be had. In the view you see sardines almost by the acre. They are placed here on the mats on the beach to dry or to cure. Japanese fishermen do not have to go far to sea to get these fish. Sardines are caught near the shore. Sometimes the fishermen use a net fastened to stakes driven in the shallow water. Or they may use seines or gill nets. Sardines are a small fish, so the meshes of such nets are small. The catch is turned over to the women to dry. Sardines are boiled in oil, put in tins, sealed, and boiled in water. The sardines you get in your grocery store are not really sardines but pilchards; i. e., young herring. Our supply is mostly caught off the Maine coast. The oil used by the Maine fishermen in their canning may be cottonseed or corn oil. In Japan the oil of another fish is used. France and Norway are two other countries in which a great number of sardines are caught, canned, and sold. What are the great fishing countries of the world? How did the Norsemen come to be such great sea-rovers? Why are fish a special blessing to the people of eastern Asia? Where are the great fishing districts in North America? What kinds of fish are in the streams or lakes near your home? From what river do we get our salmon? Keystone ID: 14845 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.