Attending college in Maine state, where lobstering is huge, I learned that buoys are colored to indicate their owners. Kumanichi just taught me this: Ariake Sea is the largest nori cultivation area in Japan, and now is seeding time along long poles supporting nets which will later be dispursed further out to sea. Just like buoys, the pole colors indicate ownership.
Now is the only time to see all of the nets congregated; work will last through the first week of November. The article’s photo is from Uto, but Kawachi is also a good sight for photographers. - William
