For thousands of years, the sea has been the lifeblood of Japanese society, one of which is the women of the sea, called Ama.

What comes to your mind when talking about Japan? Anime? Manga? or their advanced technology? Maybe we will think about these things. Maybe, we also think that Japan is a small nation and poor in natural resources.

In reality, Japan is an archipelago nation with thousands of islands, and coastlines stretch more than 29.740 kilometers! This makes Japan has abundant marine resources.

The sea has become part of Japanese culture. One of them can be seen in Mie Prefecture, an area where great fishermen have utilized marine resources in traditional and wise ways for thousands of years!

This virtual tour will explore Japan and how Japanese people sustainably utilize their marine resources.

Meet the Satoumi, a connection between people and the sea.

In Japanese, SATO means the area where people live, and UMI means the sea. For Japanese people, the sea is an essential component of Japanese culture which has supported the Japanese people's welfare. This virtual tour will take a closer look at the relationship and local wisdom of the Japanese people with the sea.

Meet the woman of the sea, Ama.

Also known as Japanese mermaids, Ama are seafarers who have been around for 2,000 to 3,000 years! Uniquely, they are women and still use traditional fishing tools. In this virtual tour, we will look closely at their fishing activities and culture to protect the sea.

Exploring Pearl Island and learning about pearl cultivation.

Mikimoto Pearl Island is a small island in Ise Bay, Toba, Mie Prefecture. On this small island, we can sustainably see pearl cultivation.