Sake

While sake refers to salmon only, salmon and trout are categorized in the same group of fish although, rather confusingly, some salmon such as chinook (Onorhynchus tshawytscha), cherry (O. masou masou) and pink (O. gorbuscha) are regarded as trout in Japan. There are also some species such as coho salmon (O. kisutch) and blue-back (O. nerka) that the Japanese call trout as well as salmon. The king of salmon in Japan is chum salmon (O. keta), which has a perfect silvery body. It comes back to the river of its birth for spawning from September to January in Japan and some are caught for artificia nsemination to be later released. Ishikari, a region on Hokkaido, the northernmost island, is famous for its salmon fisheries.