Ama are people who fish for abalone, turban shells, seaweed, etc. by free diving.
In ancient times, tools and shells thought to have been used for fishing have been found in shell middens from the Jomon and Yayoi periods, and it is said that ama fishing has existed for more than 2,000 years.
In March 2017, "Toba/Shima Ama fishing techniques" were designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property.
Ama divers are a traditional culture of Japan.
Ama is a traditional Japanese culture.
The survival of these Ama divers is now a major issue.
In Toba/Shima, nearly 800 ama divers, the largest number in Japan, are still fishing, but the number of ama divers is still only about one-third of what it was at its peak.
Additionally, there are concerns that the number of Ama divers will continue to decline year by year due to the aging of the Ama population and the lack of successors.
In order to support Ama divers, we have created the ``Ama Support Plan - A Journey to Meet Ama Divers''!
When you stay at an accommodation in TobaCity that supports the Ama Support Project, 1% of your accommodation fee will be donated to TobaCity Tourism Association.
The donations collected by the association will be used for activities related to maintaining the ama culture, such as training successors of ama divers and releasing young abalone and turban shells.
TobaCity has many attractive sightseeing spots!
Just by staying in Toba, you can support the Ama divers, so you have no choice but to take this opportunity to go to Toba!
Inquiries regarding the Ama support project plan
TobaCity Tourism Association
