Exploring the Beauty of Shima

There are many shooting spots where you should take pictures in Shinju no Sato.

We said goodbye to the kind outgoing staff of “Shinju no Sato” and went to have a special lunch, which was just 7-minute drive.

”Shinju no Sato”
http://s-tamachan.net/

And I finally went to a place that I had always heard about but never got the chance to visit, the Ama Hut SATOUMIAN, the home of Japanese female divers, the “Amasan”. 

While our lunch was being prepared, we checked the small museum where we could learn more about Amasan’s history. There were some pictures with explanations in English. The tools they used were also displayed. 

I even had the chance to wear the same clothes ama divers wear when going diving. The clothes were simple but the goggles were a bit heavy. I also tried to carry the wooden basket on my back, and I was shocked that it was heavy, that made me respect Amasan even more. The strength they have is incredible.

Once the lunch was ready, we headed to one of the huts on the other side.
I heard that this facility has 3 huts and can accommodate up to 77 people. There are plenty of seats, so you can ask questions to Ama and enjoy your meal without worrying about sharing a table with other groups.

We sat in front of a grill and watched the Amasan prepare our lunch, which by the way looked just amazing and appetizing. 

A funny fact about barbecue, before coming to Japan, barbecue for me meant grilling just meat, meaning cow, pork, sausage, chicken only but never fish or vegetables, so I was a bit shocked when I had a Japanese barbecue for the first time as soon as I had gotten in Japan. Now I’m used to the Japanese version of barbecue, and I think it’s healthy.

Another interesting fact is that I didn’t eat seafood as much when I lived in Sao Paulo, except if I went to a restaurant, but here in Japan, I can eat seafood anywhere and everywhere. 

Anyways, back to our lunch, it was my first time eating so many kinds of fresh seafood at once ,and I’m ashamed to say that I can’t even name all of them. There was one food in particular that I’m not a fan of, the squid. Every time I ate it, it felt like rubber so I kind of stopped eating it, however, today I couldn’t say no to food offered from the Amasan so I gave it a try, and I’m glad I did because it was good, really good. It was not at all rubbery. 

Everything was exquisite, and our chat with an experienced Amasan was incredible. I could feel her devotion for what she does. They are all trained practically since they were born. It’s in their blood. This tradition was passed from one generation to another. Listening to her stories, it makes me think they are the real mermaids. They can easily dive more than 15 meters wearing just goggles and some essential tools to catch seafood. The more I heard the stories the more my respect for those ladies grew. Unfortunately, this tradition is gradually disappearing. They told us the youngest Amasan was in her forties. I loved meeting them and I think everyone who comes to Japan should come and have this experience, Amasan are part of Japan’s history.

"the Ama Hut SATOUMIAN"
TEL:0599-85-1212
https://satoumian.com/en

To finish our day, we went to a lighthouse to watch the sunset! The closer you get to nature being in a coastal area is of course, the sea. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go to the top of the tower but the view from the bottom was not disappointing at all. The view of the Pacific Ocean was splendid and it felt good to listen to the sounds of the ocean. The waves hitting the rocks, the birds flying and singing. This was definitely a great way to finish our wonderful day.

In Shima, I was able to experience the bounty of the sea in a variety of uniquely Japanese ways. I encourage everyone to come to Shima and experience this wonderful experience.