Welcome to the home landof pearls and ama women divers

Issued by Toba Tourism Division
3-1-1 Toba, Toba-City, Mie Pref. Zip 517-0011
TEL: 0599-25-1157 FAX: 0599-25-1159
http://www.tobakanko.jp

Tob a Strol l Gu i de

鳥 羽 おさんぽ 手 帖

Ama's sunshine smile
welcomes you
500 or more out approx. of 2,000 women divers in Japan live in Toba.
Meet, chat and laugh with breezy women of the sea.

EXPERIENCE"Ama-goya" is a cabin where amas rest to warm themselves

Ama hut visit up. Enjoy fresh seafood grilled in irori ﬁreplace and a chatwith currently working amas.

■Osatsu Kamado Mae-no-hama/Ozego-san
TEL : 0599-33-7453（Osatsu Ama Bunka Shiryokan） Address : 1238 Osatsu-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta., get oﬀ at Osatsu, walk for approx.10 min.

■Ama-goya Hachiman Kamado
TEL : 0599-33-1023（Reservation Center） Address : 3-3 Adako-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta., get oﬀ at Adako-guchi, walk for approx. 6 min.

■Toshijima Shimanotabisha Ama-goya
TEL : 0599-37-3339（Shimanotabisha） Address : 943 Toshi-cho, Toba-City
Access : Walk from Toba Sta., to Toba Marine Terminal. Take Municipal Liner to Toshiko Harbor, walk for approx. 3 min.

LEARNToba Sea-Folk Museum
The museum features nearly 60,000 materials of oceanic
culture with focus on ama culture, along with ﬁshery,wooden boats, festivals, and sea's environment. Itsinnovative wooden building has been awarded the Prize ofAIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan).
TEL : 0599-32-6006
Address : 1731-68 Ogitsu, Uramura-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta.,get oﬀ at Hakubutsukan, and walk for in a minute.

1WORSHIP

Ama Kazukime Shrine
Ama Kazukime Shrine enshrines legendary ama named
Oben, who dedicated an abalone to Emperor's Princess,Yamatohime-no-mikoto.
This shrine is regarded as having divine favor inpreventing dizziness during diving, and is worshipedby local amas and divers nation-wide.
TEL : 0599-25-1157（Toba Tourism Division）
Address : 312 Kuzaki-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta.,
get oﬀ at Kuzaki, walk for approx. 5 min.

2

Stroll about Osatsu Area♪
Osatsu Area has many ama-related sites.
Stroll about the area and see their culture.

Osatsu Ama Bunka Shiryokan【About Ama】
Ama is a woman who skin-dives in the sea and collects food
like abalones, turban shells and seaweeds.
Their existence can be traced back to 2,000 years ago as anumber of abalone shells and tools called "awabi-okoshi(abalone scraper)" made of deer horn were found at
Shirahama archaeological site of Jomon and Yayoi Period.
Today, about 500 out of approx. 2,000 ama in Japan residein Toba and still dive for living.

【Ama's Tools】"Iso-nomi"

Learn about the town history, living of ama, and how
they collect food in deep sea. The center features ama
tools, iso-gi or diving kimono, and experience
workshop of scraping abalone with a special chisel.
TEL : 0599-33-7453
Address : 1238 Osatsu-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta.,
get oﬀ at Osatsu, walk for approx. 2 min.

Chisel to scrape abalone from rocks
without hurting them.
There are a variety of iso-nomis inlength and size to use suitably by location.

"Iso-megane"
Diving goggle which became
popular in Mid-Meiji Era.
Now, far-sighted and near-sighted
types are also available.

Shinmei Shrine, Ishigami-sanIshigami-san is a modest shrine by the approach to
Osatsu's guardian shrine, Shinmei Shrine.
It is believed to "make one wish to come true for awoman," and has been worshiped by amas from old ages.
Today, it is regarded as a "power spot" where many
women visit from all over Japan.
TEL : 0599-33-7453(Osatsu Ama Bunka Shiryokan)
Address : 1237 Osatsu-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta.,
get oﬀ at Osatsu, walk for approx. 7 min.

GozayaThis souvenir shop & cafe is located by the approachleading to Ishigami-san.
Besides ama souvenirs, the shop in reformed 80 year-old
folk house with nostalgic interior displays historical
items related to ama.
TEL : 0599-33-6770
Address : 1406 Shinmei Jinja Sando, Osatsu-cho, Toba-City
Access : Take Kamome Bus from Toba Sta., get oﬀ at Osatsu,
walk for approx. 5 min.

3"Tanpo"Float ring with net to keepcollected sea urchins and turban
shells, and to rest holding on to it.

Protection symbols for ama

Doman

Seman

Doman/Seman symbols aremarked on ama's
diving-kimono, towel, andchisels to protect themfrom misfortune at the sea.

Conserving ama culture
Ama is a professional diver who dives without any equipment tocollect abalones and turban shells. Their way of ﬁshing is simple but
requires patience, and it has been conserved and passed on as a living
culture from the ancient times to the present. In 2014, the value of"Traditional skin-diving skill of ama in Toba/Shima" wasacknowledged and designated as an intangible folklore cultural assetof Mie Prefecture. Ama culture is a prideful heritage of Japan,and now has moved a step forward to be added to UNESCO'sIntangible Cultural Heritage list.

4Father of Cultured Pearl

Kokichi Mikimoto（1858 -1954）
Kokichi Mikimoto is the World's Pearl King who was born inToba and loved Toba. He succeeded culturing pearls for theﬁrst time in the world in 1893, and exhibited his pearls in many
world exhibitions.
He was a man with global perspective, and broadly introduced
the beautiful nature of Ise-Shima area as well as the charm of

3 PLACES TO VISIT❶ Come and vis

it Toba Aquarium
where we pro
udly exhibit
the largest
number of sp
ecies of mari
ne life in Japan!

Toba Aquariumpearls. He has left many humorous words of wisdom, also.

Toba Aquariu
m is the onlyaquarium inJapan that ke
eps dugongs.
Come and se
our cheeful seea otters andcapybaras an
enjoy excitin
dg shows by ou
r seals andwalruses.

Town where pearls were born
Toba is a place where Kokichi Mikimoto cultured pearls forthe ﬁrst time in the world. Let the elegant beauty of pearls take you away.

Pearl Theme Park

Mikimoto Pearl Island
Island where pearls were born for the ﬁrst time inthe world.
Enjoy a day on the island visiting Pearl Museum
and Kokichi Mikimoto Memorial Hall, shopping
pearls, and watching ama dive and ﬁsh in
traditional white diving kimono.
TEL : 0599-25-2028
Address : 1-7-1 Toba, Toba-City
Access : From Toba Sta., approx. 5 min. walk.

Celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary,The Pearl Wedding Anniversary
The 30th wedding anniversary is called "pearlanniversary."
You can have a Pearl wedding ceremony on the 30thof each month (excluding February and December) ina chapel in Toba city, the birthplace of pearls and thetown of wedded love.
TEL : 0599-25-3019（Toba City Tourist Association）

TEL : 0599-25-2555
Address : 3-3-6 Toba, Toba
-City
Access : From Toba Sta.,
approx 10 min. walk.

❷ Have funs!

with dolphin

ruising &Toba Bay CndDolphin Islaic
through a scen
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bay area of Tnshi
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dolphins an
You can evenre, Toba
Marine Leisu-3145(Shimaity
TEL : 0599-25-Cba, To383-51 Toba
x. 10 min.
Address : 1-2
around approm Toba Sta.,l)ina
Access : Frormrine Tewalk (Toba MaOﬃce)❸ Savor harvestsof the sea andﬁeld !

Toba Marche

Buy varieties
of seasonal seafood andfarm-goods harvested in Toba and Shimaarea, directlyfrom the ﬁshermen and farm
Try any readers.
y-made dishes, they are fresand tasty! Thehattached rest
aurant serves
Toba's local cu
isine in buﬀet style.
TEL: 0599-21-1080Address : 1-2
383-42 Toba
, Toba-City
Access : From Toba Sta.,
approx. 2 min.
around walk.

56

Town blessed with sea harvests

Iwaizakana(celebration ﬁsh) of Japan
Japanese regard "Ise-ebi (lobster)," sea bream,and abalone as celebration food, and in Toba,
where these foods are reaped plentifully,
call them "Iwaizakana(celebration ﬁsh) of Japan".

The sea of Toba, where the Black Current and the sea water of Ise
Bay meet, is blessed with seafood.
Fill yourself up on delicious ﬁsh and shells harvested from the sea.

Iseebi【lobster】

As lobsters have long barbel which looks like abeard and bent posture, they are regarded as asymbol of "longevity."
With gorgeous looking, they are often used for
New Year's decorations and precious gifts.

Tai【sea bream】

As the ﬁsh name, "Tai" appears in a word"omedetai (meaning celebrative)," tai is a ﬁsh thatJapanese always serve in celebrating occasions
like wedding, entrance to school, and New Years.
Their noble ﬁgure and beautiful coral color havealways convinced the Japanese, from ancient times,
to bring good fortune.

Awabi 【abalone】
Abalones have been dedicated to Grand Shrine ofIse as "Noshi-awabi," or stretched and dried stripsof abalone.
Legend says a healthy baby with beautiful eyes
will be born when a mother eats an abalone while
she is pregnant, and it is regarded as a lucky foodfor safe delivery.
78Relax（Toba Hot Spring）

TOBA ONSEN-GO Spa Village

9 hot-spring spas located along the Paciﬁc coast of Toba are collectively called "Toba Onsen-go Village."
Have relaxing time in open space bath with widespread ocean view.

Tob a C i t y● Municipal ﬂower, tree, bird
Municipal ﬂower: Hama-nadeshiko (fringed pink)
Municipal tree: Yamato Tachibana (citrus tachibana)
Municipal bird: Kamome (Seagull)● Population/Households (as of 2014)
Total: 20,657; Males: 9,750; Females: 10,907
Households: 8,441● Number of Visitors/Overnight Guests(Reference: Tourism Division 2014)
Visitors: 4,426,539
Overnight Guests: 1,861,065● Sister/Friendship Cities
Sister City: Santa Barbara, U.S.A.
Friendship City: Sanda-City, Hyogo Pref.

● Area (as of 2014)
108.05 km²● Climate (as of 2014)

Feelat Home

Four inhabited remote islands

The time passes slow on the island, making visitors feel unwind and at home.
Oﬀ the coast of Toba Bay, there sit four islands each with unique history, culture, and food.

KamishimaToshijima

Kaimishima is the stagefor "The Sound of Waves,"
a pure love story betweena young ﬁsherman andama on the island, writtenby Yukio Mishima.

Toshijima is the largest
island among four, andhas very attractive
scenery, seafood, andhistory.

Sugashima

Sakatejima

The island is famous for"Sugashima Lighthouse,"the oldest existing
brick-built architecture in
Japan.

It is a peaceful island withhundreds of water iris
blooming incity-designated natural
treasure, Ayame-ike.

Average temperature: 15.3℃
Annual precipitation: 2,219.5mm● Remote Islands
Kamishima (Area: 0.76km²

Coastline: 3.9km）

Toshijima (Area: 6.98km²

Coastline: 26.3km）Sugashima (Area: 4.52km²

Coastline: 13.0km）

Sakatejima (Area: 0.51km²

Coastline: 3.8km）

MiePref.

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