We have all heard about the friendship between the fisherman and the fish and what fortune the fish brought him. Those were fairy tales and no one will possibly think such a friendship can ever exist between a human and a fish. However, you will surely be amazed to hear this story from Japan about a diver who has maintained a close friendship with a fish for 25 years!
The diver of the story, Hiroyuki Arakawa is in charge of overseeing one of the religious shrines of Shinto called Tori Hich which is located under the surface of Japan’s Tateyama Bay. Over the decades, he got to know the marine creatures living around the shrine, and essentially, became friendly with an Asian sheepshead wrasse named Yoriko. The relationship between them was captured in a viral video where we see Arakawa’s way of greeting the fish with a kiss.
Recently scientific studies have shown that fish can recognize a human face which is a great discovery. “Two images of human faces were presented to fish by scientists and the fish were trained to choose one by spitting their jet at the picture,” Dr. Cait Newport from the University of Oxford told CNN. “The researcher chose to make things a little difficult. They made the picture black and white and the head shapes were evened out. You would think that it would throw the fish out of the loop. But no. They were able to pick the face they were familiar with and with more accuracy: 86%!”
So, over the years their friendship has also grown strong and they have become best friends.
Image Credit & More Info: Facebook | atlasobscura | Inhabitat
This Japanese diver has been a close friend of a fish named Yoriko for 25 years!
Every time they meet, the man greets the fish with a kiss.
Their first encounter was when Arakawa got entrusted to look after an underwater Shinto shrine.
Over the decades, their friendship grew stronger.
