MISAKI, Kanagawa Pref. — It was a long way from the high-class jewelry showrooms of Paris, London or Tokyo's Ginza, but on Thursday at Misaki, on the windswept tip of Kanagawa Prefecture's Miura Peninsula, 20 elementary school children were treated to a rare, hands-on look at pearls and how they form.

The event was hosted by the Misaki Marine Biological Station, a 124-year old research facility affiliated with the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with leading pearl producer Mikimoto.

In April 2009, the firm opened a satellite office of its Pearl Research Laboratory within the Misaki facility.