Considering the Future of a Satoumi Intertwined with People’s Lives through Pearls Created in Ago Bay, Shima City

Ago Bay is Home to Abundant Natural Blessings

With its intricately indented ria coastline and numerous islands of all sizes rising from its waters, Ago Bay features beautiful and iconic scenery of Ise-Shima. The calm waves of the bay are rich in nutrients brought by the Kuroshio Current and the forests, and residents of the area have long enjoyed the blessings of Ago Bay’s abundant nature in their lives. The countless aquaculture rafts for pearls, green seaweed, oysters, and more illustrate that Ago Bay is a satoumi where nature coexists in harmony with the occupations of its people.

*Satoumi are coastal areas where human intervention increases biological productivity and biodiversity.

This time, we visited Ago Bay with actress Mito Yukimi to explore Shima City’s long-standing traditional pearl industry and consider the future of Ago Bay’s natural environment.

Yokoyama View Point

At the Yokoyama View Point in Yokoyama, Shima City, visitors can enjoy a sweeping view of Ago Bay. Among the five viewing spots on the premises, the main attraction is the Yokoyama Tenku Café Terrace, where a sublime panoramic view of Ago Bay can be seen from an observation deck at an elevation of 140 meters.

Climbing the stairs to the spacious observation deck, Yukimi exclaimed, “Beautiful!” as she gazed at the vast natural scenery before her.

In addition to the Yokoyama Tenku Café Terrace, another appeal of Yokoyama View Point is that visitors can enjoy a variety of views of Ago Bay from observation points with different elevations and distinct features.

Pearl Farming in Ago Bay

Among the aquaculture industries flourishing in Ago Bay, pearl farming is particularly exemplary. Shima City in Mie Prefecture, where Ago Bay is located, ranks alongside Ehime Prefecture’s Uwajima and Nagasaki Prefecture’s Iki-Tsushima region as one of Japan’s leading pearl production areas.

The history of pearl farming in Ago Bay dates back to the Meiji period (1868-1912), when Kokichi Mikimoto, born in Toba City, Mie Prefecture, selected an inlet in Ago Bay as a test site for pearl farming. Ago Bay is an ideal location for pearl farming because of its gentle waters shaped by the intricate landscape, and the rich nutrients flowing from the mountains into the sea, which enable abundant plankton to serve as food for the oysters. At its peak, Ago Bay was said to be home to up to 1,000 pearl farming businesses.

The Process of Creating Captivating Pearls

To observe the process of pearl farming, Yukimi visited the pearl farm of KAKUDA PEARL in Ago Bay.
Numerous nets hanging from the floating aquaculture rafts were visible, each containing Akoya oysters which create pearls.

Pearl farming involves numerous complex steps, starting with artificial spat (young oyster) collection by breeding oysters, followed by nurturing the young oysters, inserting nuclei into the mature oysters to form the basis of pearls, further nurturing them until pearls are produced, and finally harvesting the pearls. It takes about three years to complete the process for one pearl, even a small one.

During that time, keeping the oysters in good condition requires year-round meticulous care, including cleaning them and relocating them to areas with suitable water temperatures based on their stage of growth.

Despite such hard work, it is said that up to half of the Akoya oysters die during the cultivation period due to challenges such as diseases and difficulties in adapting to environmental changes.

However, the beauty of the pearls nurtured through such unstinting time and effort has captivated people throughout the ages. Their soft, lustrous sheen embodies beauty crafted by nature over the years.

Yukimi also experienced cleaning the oysters, a delicate task that involves carefully removing barnacles and other attached matter by hand without damaging the shells.

She remarked, “This shows just how much effort goes into creating a single pearl. It is clear they are nurtured with great affection.”

A Satoumi in Harmony with People

Within the long history of pearl farming in Ago Bay, there have been periods of significant declines in pearl production, caused by various factors such as economic fluctuations including the 2008 financial crisis and a disease involving reddish discoloration that led to nationwide mass die-off of shellfish. Such periods have resulted in many businesses discontinuing pearl farming.

Vestiges of these businesses still remain within the bay, including small huts once used as pearl farming worksites.

Despite these past hardships, pearl farming has continued to thrive as a major industry in Ago Bay since the Meiji period. George Kakuda, President and CEO of KAKUDA PEARL who guided us through the farm earlier, explained why.

This is a photo Kakuda showed us of the KAKUDA PEARL farm in Ago Bay in 1963. He explained, “Around Ago Bay, there were fields and orchards where the soil was fertilized. Trees were appropriately thinned for firewood, allowing nutrients to reach the remaining trees and creating well-maintained, highly productive forests. Nutrients from these forests flowed into the sea, providing excellent feed for the pearl-producing Akoya oysters and seaweed, and enriching the marine environment.”

Furthermore, when people collect and eat marine products, the leftovers are used as fertilizer for fields. Ago Bay has long been home to such a cycle where the presence of humans enriches nature.

Having sustained such a cycle for many years, Ago Bay truly exemplifies a satoumi coastal area where humans and nature coexist sustainably.

COVA KAKUDA: A Retreat Overlooking Ago Bay

Kakuda commented, “I hope visitors to Ago Bay can sense the enduring cycle and leave with a feeling of fulfillment.” In the summer of 2023, he launched the COVA KAKUDA retreat in a quiet inlet of Ago Bay.

The building, which served as a pearl farming facility until 1970, was renovated while preserving its original framework. The lobby displays photos that illustrate the site’s history, allowing visitors to sense its legacy. This former pearl farm has become a hub for learning about the industry and people’s lives involved with the natural cycle of Ago Bay and pearl farming.

Visitors can also see and handle pearl accessories at COVA KAKUDA.

After seeing the pearl farming process onsite and observing the pearls shaped through repeated careful handwork, visitors can undoubtedly sense that pearls are precious and beloved creations of both human hands and nature.

The Future of Ago Bay

Ago Bay is closely tied to people’s lives while also captivating visitors. To pass on its natural beauty to future generations, COVA KAKUDA holds workshops on upcycling waste.

This initiative involves sorting waste collected during coastal cleanups and upcycling it. In the example shown, discarded nets from pearl farms are unraveled, barnacles and other attached matter are removed, and the material is rewoven into bottle holders.

This idea arose from the abundance of plastic bottles found during cleanups. By filling a tumbler or other container with water and carrying it in one of these holders, people can avoid buying plastic bottles.

Kakuda said that due to the durability of the nets, there is still untapped potential for finished products beyond bottle holders, including smartphone shoulder straps and larger items such as hammocks.

Moreover, COVA KAKUDA composts waste, such as discarded shells from aquaculture and food scraps, to create fertilizer that is returned to the soil in forests.

Kakuda explained, “People who visit Ago Bay from far away often say, ‘I can’t believe such a beautiful place exists.’ This has helped us locals rediscover the inherent value and beauty of the bay. Through its nature, industries, food, and unique experiences, I want people to realize that Ago Bay and its people are all part of the greater natural world.” Using pearl farming as a lens, he conveys the allure of Ago Bay, which has always been and will always remain in harmony with people.

Ise-Shima boasts world-class pearls. The nature of Ago Bay, the birthplace of these pearls, has been enriched by human activity, creating a sustainable cycle in which people receive the blessings of the abundant natural environment. Visit Ago Bay to observe this ongoing natural cycle as well as the new initiatives utilizing natural resources that are now being launched.