WINTER

Winter season has started on October 3. And it's going to last until the end of December.

Now our target changed from abalones to turban shells & sea cucumbers.

I don't know if people in other countries eat sea cucumbers as well as Japanese people.
The first time I saw it, I couldn't understand how come human has to eat that sort of weird looking creature. It has no eyes, no fins or legs. It is just... round.

They looked weird for the first time. But now I love sea cucumbers!
Sea cucumbers are quite difficult to find underwater. They appear when water temperature gets colder. Till then, they hide their bodies behind rocks and stay still.
So, it's quite an exciting moment when you finally find one. That special feeling makes you like them.

Recently, skilled Ama are getting more sea cucumbers.
It's quite difficult for me to get 3-5. But they get more than 20 or 30. I don't really know where on earth they found that many! They dive into the same ocean with me though.

SUMMER

It's been very hot these days.

But when you go out and walk around the harbor, blowing wild and sound of waves make you feel better.

Fishermen and Ama finished their works by August 12th, and started busy days of 'OBON'. 

It seems like a Japanese style Halloween in summer. People go to their family graves on 13th, and take ghosts of their ancestors back to their houses. People spend some days with their family and ancestors, and take ghosts back to their graves on 16th.

What I think very unique is people prepare meals to ghosts everyday.

Even thought ghosts actually don't eat, people prepare their breakfast & lunch for those 4 days. And menu of each meal is all decided.

An old woman told me that she was terribly busy for these 4 days because she needed to prepare meals for 7 generation ancestors (wow!).

I hardly cook for my husband (he cooks for me though).

If I need to prepare meals for 7 generation ancestors who actually don't eat, plus me and my husband?

 I think I need to hire a person for help.

WELCOME!

Thank you for visiting this blog.

First of all, let me introduce myself.

I'm Rikako. I am doing Ama in Ijika, a small fishing village located in Toba city.

Ama is a traditional job that only exist in Japan and South Korea, and there are about 2000 Ama in Japan now, and almost a half of them are living in this Mie Prefecture.
Ama is basically women's job. The women dive into the ocean and catch variety of seafood, such as abalone, turban shell, lobster and so on. Diving is not a hobby for them, people make their living with it.


I started doing this job since last October. So, I'm quite new to this job and had no idea how to catch seafood.

As a newcomer of the Ama world, I'd like to share my unique experience with people around the world.

This is where I dive :)

I wish you'll enjoy my blog!

Rikako