Ama Hut Hachiman Kamado

Ama Hut Hachiman Kamado in Osatsu, Toba City, Mie Prefecture offers visitors an authentic encounter with Japan's 2,000-year-old ama diving tradition. Ama divers are female free divers who descend into the ocean without air tanks, harvesting abalone, turban shells, and other seafood using techniques passed down through generations. Evidence of this practice dates back to 300 BC, with the first official documentation appearing in AD 927. The region was designated as Japan Heritage in 2019, and ama culture itself became Mie Prefecture's first intangible folk cultural asset in 2016.

The facility recreates traditional ama huts where divers historically warmed themselves and rested between dives. Osatsu accommodates the largest number of active ama divers in Japan, though the profession faces decline with aging practitioners. Many divers work from their teens well into their eighties, maintaining remarkable vitality attributed to their specialized training. The ama of this region maintain a sacred connection to Ise Jingu Shrine, formally presenting dried abalone as offerings three times annually.

Visitors experience fresh seafood grilled over charcoal by active ama divers themselves, including premium ingredients like spiny lobster, abalone, and turban shells caught that same day. During meals, divers share firsthand accounts of their work and lifestyle in an intimate hut setting with traditional kamado hearths. The experience includes opportunities to try on traditional white diving garments once believed to ward off sharks, participate in the local Osatsu Ondo folk dance, and photograph drain covers throughout the area decorated with ama diver imagery.

The Ama Story Tea Time costs ¥2,900 for adults and ¥1,450 for children, while the full Ama Hut Experience Course ranges from ¥4,500 to ¥9,720 depending on menu selection. Reservations are required for meal courses. The facility is located approximately 25 minutes by car from Toba Station (JR Sangu Line, Kintetsu Toba and Shima lines) or 15 minutes from Tobaminami-Shiraki Interchange on the Daini Ise Road. A free shuttle bus called "Ama Bus" operates from Kintetsu Toba Station with advance reservation.