In any well-known Japanese garden in Japan, you are bound to come across a pond full of carp, large decorative fish that look like they had orange paint spilled on them. Koi, as they are called, also come in black and white, in which they look more like Holstein fish.

Besides being a decorative fish, the koi also symbolizes strength, which is why on Children's Day in Japan people hang up carp kites for boys. Perhaps it's a kind of visual gym workout for the boys: They look up at the carp kites and gain strength. But what has always amazed me about fish pond koi is how expensive they are. These fish start at ¥10,000 each. That's a lot of money for a fish you can't even eat.

So I was quite surprised when, in Kotohira, Shikoku, I saw loads of koi swimming in public! As a beautification project, the town had installed a shallow waterway next to the sidewalk and filled it with koi. You could just reach down and scoop out the fish if you wanted. This would surely be classified as a felonious fish crime, however, so I don't recommend it.