Iwate

A prefecture on the Sanriku coast of northeastern Japan, where the cold Oyashio and warm Kuroshio currents meet to create one of the world's richest fishing grounds. The ria coastline and its ports land mackerel, Pacific saury, and salmon, and the region has a strong canning culture built on that catch. Producers including Ça va? and Time Canning, the latter in Rikuzentakata packing Sanriku saba and sanma by hand in the traditional kikuzume style, carry the tradition. The Sanriku fishery is central to the identity of Japanese canned fish.