Meat In the past farm animals were standard but nowadays (at best) one may find the occasional chicken or two. Hunting and fishing were once common, but are now less so. Wild boar and deer are still prized and the few hunters/trappers around can now sell their finds through the new (opened in 2014) hunters' butchery located in Higashi Iya. As a result, such wild game is becoming available in some local restaurants and hotels. Traditionally however, the local hunters would have huts deep in the mountains (only a dozen or so remain active) where their kills would be brought and butchered, the hunting dogs would be fed, and a feast of meat would be grilled up and shared. As the meat was so fresh, it was common for the prime cuts to be eaten raw. River trout (amego) is a popular delicacy and though still fished by some, it is more commonly gotten by the few local hatcheries. To prepare, usually the whole fish is encrusted in salt, skewered with a bamboo stick, and then roasted slowly over charcoal. The amego fish is also a main ingredient in hirara-yaki, which is an offering unique to the Iya Valley. This meal is traditionally slow-cooked on a large stone with a fire beneath, but nowadays it is more common to have it prepared on a large iron griddle. To prepare, thick walls of miso paste (both red and white miso) are formed in a circle around the edges, and inside a collection of fish, potatoes, tofu, onions, and konnyaku are cooked in a sake based broth which steeps in the surrounding miso. While usually only (and rarely) prepared at festivals or special occasions, it is possible to find it on the menu in individual portions at some inns and hotels. Drink Iya people love to drink; however, there is no local alcohol (legally) produced. While beer is common, the oldest generation still prefers sake, while the middle-aged men are more partial to shochu. The Iya drinking etiquette is usually practiced at shrine festivals, home parties, and banquets. In this drinking style, a person has his own small cup from which he must first consume a cupful in order to 'break it in'. Then he passes his cup to his neighbor and pours him a cupful (usually sake, but any alcohol or even non-alcohol is allowable). The receiving person must immediately drink