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Akoya Pearls

— Toba's pearl island and its ama divers

craftThe classic — done right

Toba calls itself the birthplace of the cultured pearl, and the claim rests on one island in its harbour. A pearl museum, a memorial hall and ama diving displays now fill it, a short walk from the station.

FromToba Station (Kintetsu Toba Line / JR Sangu Line)
~5 minWalk from Toba Station
Akoya Pearls

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

The ama diving displayジェームズディズレー / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Pearl Bridgea covered walkway curving out from the waterfront to the island gate
The ama diving displaydivers in the old white cotton isogi, working from a floating wooden tub
The Pearl Museumtwo floors, farmed pearls and how they are grown below, natural pearls and antique jewellery above
The Kokichi Mikimoto Memorial Hallthe life of the man who made it work, with his family udon shop rebuilt inside
Pearl Plazathe shop and restaurant at the end of the loop, looking back across the water to the town

How to actually get there

Kintetsu or JR to Toba Station.
Harbour front on foot to the island entrance, flat the whole way.
Buy the ticket at the mainland building, then check the diving times posted at the entrance.
Cross the covered bridge and walk the loop: diving display, pearl museum, memorial hall, Pearl Plaza.

Toba Station, then a short walk: Kintetsu and JR both terminate at Toba Station. Kintetsu limited expresses come in from Nagoya and from Osaka Namba, and JR's Kaisoku Mie service runs from Nagoya; limited expresses need a separate express ticket on top of the fare. From the station it is about five minutes on the flat along the harbour front, and the island is signposted from the exit.
Back the same way to Toba Station: Retrace the harbour front to the station. Check the last departure on the station board if you stay until the island closes, as services toward Nagoya and Osaka thin out late in the day. Ise-shi, the station for Ise Jingu, is a short ride back up the Kintetsu line.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Toba Bay is a drowned-valley coast, and the calm water between its islands suits the akoya oyster that yields Japan's cultured pearls. One island in the harbour is given over entirely to that story. It covers about 2.3 hectares and is joined to the waterfront by a covered footbridge, so the whole circuit is a slow walk rather than an outing. On it stand a pearl museum, a memorial hall to the man who solved pearl farming, and an open stretch of water used for diving displays. Outside the gate, the harbour front is lined with pearl shops that anyone can browse without a ticket.

How to enjoy it

The diving display runs once an hour through the day, but it breaks over the middle of the day, so arriving around noon can mean a long wait for the next one. Check the board at the entrance first and fit the museum into the gap, which is about the right length for it. On days when the island closes early the last display is brought forward.

Background & history

Pearls had always been found by chance, and every attempt to grow them to order had failed. Kokichi Mikimoto, eldest son of a Toba udon shop, worked at the problem in these bays and succeeded on this island in 1893 — the first successful pearl culture anywhere, and the start of an industry that rebuilt the jewellery trade around a farmed gem. The island opened to visitors in 1951 and has been a museum site since. The ama had dived this coast long before anyone farmed it, and their part in the early work is why the displays are still held.

Before you go

Cash: One admission covers the whole island, including the diving display, and is taken at the entrance building on the mainland side: 1,650 yen for adults and 820 yen for elementary and junior-high pupils. Advance electronic tickets are sold online, as are combination tickets with Toba Aquarium and the bay cruise. The car park is charged separately from admission.
Good to know: Opening hours shift with the season and ticket sales stop before the island closes, so check the official site before you travel. The island also shuts for a few days each December. The diving display is outdoors and the viewing area is open to the weather; rain does not stop it, but wind off the bay is cold.
Another way: From Ise, Toba is a short ride down the same Kintetsu line, which makes Ise Jingu in the morning and the pearl island in the afternoon a comfortable single day. Drivers come off the Ise-Futami-Toba Line and park on the mainland side of the bridge.
After you get off: Leave Toba Station on the harbour side and follow the waterfront south past the pearl shops. The covered bridge onto the island is a few minutes along, and the ticket building stands at its mainland end.