Abstract

The article examines how folk methodologies for weather prediction influence small-scale agricultural and fishing activities of a Japanese coastal community. Specifically, the article addresses some anthropological questions on how local fishermen predict the weather by developing two different forecasting practices: "takayama", a practical weather observation technique that combines the observation of the clouds with a traditional nautical technique for orientation at sea and, "okite", a model-based weather prognostication used to forecast long-term weather trends for the following year.