Lifestyle Jan 20, 2020
Young female divers help keep tradition alive
by Yuka Nakao
As Japan's ama (female divers) numbers dwindle, younger divers strive to find ways to pass down the culture.
National / Science & Health | NATURAL SELECTIONS Jul 28, 2018
Can dolphins teach humans how to come up for air?
by Rowan Hooper
A look at new dolphin research may help Japanese pearl and seafood divers and other free divers learn more about countering decompression sickness.
Food & Drink May 19, 2018
The Shima Peninsula, where life is built on oysters and seafood
by Lance Henderstein
Shima Peninsula may be most famous for pearls, but the true treasure is its bountiful natural environment and a plateful of fresh oysters.
Travel Apr 21, 2017
Home of the cultured pearl, Toba in Ise-Shima has both history and living tradition
by Stephen Mansfield
"To Bond," Ian Fleming wrote in his 1964 novel, "You Only Live Twice," "they all seemed beautiful in the soft evening light ... the gleaming, muscled buttocks, cleft by the black cord, the powerful thong round the waist with its string of oval lead ...
National | IN PICTURES Jul 13, 2016
While the city of Shima in Mie Prefecture is famous for its tradition of female ama divers, men have similarly been hunting the depths without the assistance of breathing devices.
Food & Drink May 25, 2016
Ise-Shima's traditional seafood foragers come up for air
by Dave Hueston
When I arrive at the entrance of Hachiman-kamado, a women divers' hut in the village of Osatsu along the jagged coastline of the Ise-Shima region in Mie Prefecture, matriarch Reiko Nomura and three of her junior female free divers welcome me with beaming smiles. The ...
National Nov 6, 2015
City withdraws controversial 'ama' divers mascot
by Tomohiro Osaki
The city of Shima in Mie Prefecture has scrapped its endorsement of a controversial mascot slammed by some locals as overly sexual and demeaning to local ama divers. The move, announced Thursday, came after the city, slated to host next year's Group of Seven summit, ...
National Aug 11, 2015
'Ama' divers denounce 'obscene' city mascot, demand its withdrawal
by Tomohiro Osaki
More than 100 ama divers are demanding that the coastal city of Shima, Mie Prefecture, scrap a newly adopted mascot on the grounds that it is obscene. They say the demure girl cartoon character, with large breasts, tight top and skirt riding up her thighs, ...
National Mar 17, 2015
Traditional 'ama' diving at risk as numbers plunge
by Fumihiko Hamaguchi
Shinmei Shrine in Osatsu, a small community in Mie Prefecture, is a magnet for tourists from across the country, particularly women attracted by its supposed promise to accommodate at least one of each female worshipper's wishes. But the shrine is more than just an ordinary ...
National Apr 24, 2014
Skin divers turn to tourism to stem the tide
by Chikako Mogi
At the Sea People restaurant in Shima, a coastal hamlet in Mie Prefecture, sea diver Machiyo Yamashita wants a piece of a tourism industry dominated by the cities that sapped her town's vitality by luring away its youth. "I want to cook and serve customers ...
National Jan 26, 2014
Prefectures unite on 'ama' diving campaign for UNESCO culture listing
Eight prefectures announce a joint bid to promote “ama” diving culture for inclusion on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
National Jul 15, 2013
With the number of traditional "ama" female divers declining nationwide, their elderly ranks have stepped up efforts to recruit younger divers and promote their products as a formal brand to make the occupation more financially rewarding. The time and effort put into landing their catches ...