Ama work with an exclusively cafe providing fresh shellfish and you may undertaking dances to own people. The latest restaurant provides Ama too old so you can plunge having really works and you may allows these to instruct individuals on their cultures and you will life style.
Of numerous now work with the new Ama-themed restaurant nearby the docks, offering tourist seafood, and undertaking conventional dances getting photo-ops. One of several eatery group summarized the fresh new plan: “The audience is extremely thankful to have travelers started here. Permits us to continue diving and you will share the fresh culture. However, we was previously capable just diving.”
These are the Japanese and you can regional government’s work to carry outsiders so you’re able to Ise-shima, a location instead a shinkansen (high-speed show) prevent and you will a place that is generally overlooked more than into the way out-of Tokyo-to-Kyoto.
Before our buffet, I rode also Sayuri’s team for their early morning move. The group found its way to two white trucks and you will quickly loaded the apparatus on the boat: flippers, dive face masks, tampo (lifesavers that have nets among to hold the hook), and you can iso nomi (a flat, chisel-such as for instance tool they use in order to pry shellfish on ocean floors). It connect ise ebi or any other creatures yourself. Zero clean air tanks or snorkels. New Ama is freedivers. They hold the breath.
The latest vessel, captained by Masumi Nakamura, the husband away from Sayuri Nakamura, shuttled us out over the newest bays one line the fresh shore from Mie prefecture. Even as we sped together, the ladies tied and you will searched the weighted dive belts, tied their light direct covers, and you may shouted to each other along the drone of one’s diesel system. In the seat, Masumi explained which he never ever requires some one out towards genuine dives, just presentations-today are a difference. And then he conversations effusively regarding his wife’s ability.
In the dive web site other groups of Ama was basically currently inside the water, bobbing on top, dangling on to the tampo lifetime preservers until the next plunge.
The atmosphere of one’s plunge area try laden up with voice and energy
Ama whistle in order to blank the lungs entirely while they epidermis. People who never whistle call-out in full sounds as they exhale. Certain complain loudly regarding the cold, otherwise skipped captures, although some heckle or participate in themselves.
The group uses the brand new day doing 50-2nd dives so you’re able to deepness out-of 4 to 5 m, 20 so you’re able to 29 times per, before heading back once again to the newest docks to market the new catch to this new wholesalers who wait when deciding to take they so you’re able to a great seem to be capable stay down expanded, but take longer to recuperate immediately after twenty four hours out of dive.
One after another, new divers eliminate themselves as well as their catch on the ship. It transfer black colored water cucumbers off their tampo for the bluish buckets. This new motorboat speed back once again to the new docks therefore the class humor and you may flaunts the new day’s catch.
Some of the Ama also do its households, and make products due to their husbands and giving students out over college or university just before it go out into early morning plunge. Plunge provides them with more income and quality eating for their own families together with district in which he could be respected, not lauded such as rock superstars.
Once we arrive at the fresh new docks they drained, haggle towards the wholesale suppliers which wait for him or her, and alter prior to appointment straight back on forgotten for dinner
We tend to mythologize groups such as the Ama exactly who manage life style, however their the reality is a hard life of manual work within the a get older from automation. Eg move gurus at the an automobile factory or clerks at a good service avoid, the newest Ama try punching the fresh clock towards lent date.