Visit Nara

This store, as you can tell from the front, is all about goldfish. There are hundreds of souvenirs related to Koriyama’s goldfish industry. However, it is also a “dojo”, for scooping fish. As seen at summer festivals across Japan, it is fiendishly difficult to scoop up the tiny fish with a thin paper net, but here, you can learn the secrets to scooping or “sukui”. Local kids often drop by to sharpen their skills. There’s even an annual competition. A manga about goldfish scooping, called “Sukutte Goran” or “Scoop to See”, is making Koriyama very popular, and there is a suggested walking course, visiting scenes from the manga (Kochikuya is featured). You might even see fans in cosplay.