Meet the ama divers of Toba

The ama of Toba are women who dive for abalone and other seafood on a single breath, without air tanks, a tradition that Ise-Shima’s tourism board says goes back more than 2,000 years. About 6,000 ama worked in the Ise-Shima area at their peak; fewer than 600 remain, the highest concentration in Japan. They dive to around 20 metres, using a breathing technique called isobue, and until about the 1970s they dived without wetsuits. Visitors can watch diving demonstrations at Mikimoto Pearl Island, learn about the tradition at the Toba Sea-Folk Museum, or book a seafood lunch cooked by the ama in a seaside hut (amagoya), for example at Osatsu.

Sources: Toba tourism; Ise-Shima Tourism. Check the official sites for demonstrations and bookings. See also Ise-Shima.