From Friday 3 July to Sunday 5 July 2026, we at STANDING SOUL® / Team Tachitsuri took part in the 37th International Billfish Tournament on Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island (第37回 日本最西端与那国島国際カジキ釣り大会), held at Kubura Fishing Port in Yonaguni Town, Okinawa.

What we landed was a 160 kg marlin. It was taken by our teammate Manato Mukaezato — a high school angler born and raised on Yonaguni Island.

A 160 kg fish, though, is far more than a team, or a single household, could ever eat. Fishing is not over until you have decided where the fish goes — with that in mind, we donated it through the food donation platform FoodBridge to children's cafeterias and community support organizations in Tokyo.
And from the places it reached came more words of thanks, and more photographs of the meals, than we had ever expected. This article reports the whole story.

Overview

An International Billfish Tournament on Japan's Westernmost Island

The tournament is held in the waters of Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island, where the Kuroshio Current runs. Anglers and visitors from Japan and abroad gather to compete for the best catch in divisions including trolling and shore fishing.

It is more than a fishing competition. It has taken root on the island as an event that promotes marine leisure, tourism and fishing on Yonaguni, and helps revitalize the community. This was the 37th edition. For us, too, it was one of the stages we had long wanted to stand on.

The Angler: Manato Mukaezato, a High School Angler Raised on the Island

The 160 kg marlin was taken by Manato Mukaezato, a member of Team Tachitsuri. He is based on Yonaguni Island and is still in high school.

He has fished the island's waters since he was small, building a track record in big game fishing for kingfish and grouper. Having someone on the team who knows the local water better than anyone was a great strength, both at the tournament and in the donation that followed. He produced a result in the sea he grew up in, and that fish reached children far beyond the island. As a team, we could not have asked for a better one.

Where Do You Send 160 kg?

Every angler knows the rush of the moment a big fish comes up. But we did not want it to end there, because a 160 kg marlin was a gift far too large for us to keep to ourselves.

That is where the food donation platform FoodBridge came in. It connects you directly with children's cafeterias and support organizations that need food, and it keeps a record of what was delivered and where. The marlin was butchered on the spot, cut into blocks and packed chilled, then shipped to children's cafeterias and community support organizations in Tokyo.

The Day the Marlin Reached the Children's Cafeterias

* The photographs are published with the consent of the recipient organizations. Anything that constitutes personal information, such as shipping labels, has been edited out.

Messages from the People Who Received It

These are the messages we received from the recipients on Monday 13 July 2026. What the fish we caught became, and whose table it was served at. Being shown that much was the greatest joy of all. We share them as they were written, with only light edits for readability.

My husband says the karaage is delicious. It feels juicier than the fish we usually have. Maybe it is the season.

— From the household of a children's cafeteria staff member (a sommelier husband and a dietitian wife)

Thank you for the delicious marlin! I sauteed it in butter as you suggested, then made a Western-style yaki-udon with frozen udon and vegetables I had at home, finished with a squeeze of lemon. This marlin was tender and delicious too! Thank you so much!

— From a household that uses a children's cafeteria

Thank you for today! We made marlin steaks and topped them with a garlic, green onion and enoki mushroom sauce. Such a fine, delicious marlin! We ate it as a family!

— From a household that uses a children's cafeteria

Thank you for yesterday. The mothers in our single-parent families were delighted with the marlin. There was so much of it that we cut it up and froze some. Thank you very much 😊

— From a children's cafeteria staff member

Karaage, sauteed in butter, Western-style yaki-udon, steaks, ankake bento. It turned into dishes we had never imagined, on table after table. One fish from the sea off Yonaguni became tonight's dinner in homes in Tokyo.

Comments

About the Food Donation Platform FoodBridge

This donation was made possible by the food donation platform FoodBridge.

FoodBridge is a platform that connects companies, organizations and individuals who want to donate food with the children's cafeterias, welfare organizations and others that need it. By recording each handover of food and making the flow of a donation visible, it aims to build a safe and reliable system for donating food.

Catching more than you can use is nothing unusual for an angler. Until now, though, we had no way of getting it to the people who need it. You can see who received it, and how it was used. The words of thanks we received came back to us because that system exists. If you feel the same way about not letting a gift like this go to waste, this is something we would like you to know about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fishing Outings and Events

STANDING SOUL® / Team Tachitsuri holds fishing outings for every level of experience, from parent-and-child fishing experiences to full-scale big game fishing tours. The schedule is listed on our tours and events page, so please take a look. If anything is unclear, please feel free to contact us.

Related pages: About Team Tachitsuri / Report: Summer parent-and-child fishing experience in Shimoda and Mikomoto Island
Contact for this release: STANDING SOUL® / Team Tachitsuri, Sano. E-mail: support@standing-soul.jp