In 1893 Mikimoto Kōkichi produced the world's first cultured pearl here.
In 1893, on what was then called Ōjima Island, Mikimoto Kōkichi produced the world's first cultured pearl: a leap that opened up a Japanese industry worth billions of yen. To this day, several times a day, the ama (the traditional women divers) dive in white suits for a demonstration of oyster gathering, the same action as in Mikimoto's first experiments.
The island is home to the Pearl Museum (1985), which displays cultured and natural pearls on two floors with over 250 historical pieces of jewellery, and the memorial dedicated to Mikimoto Kōkichi (1993), with a reconstruction of the udon shop where he was born.
ℹ️ An island linked by a footbridge, 5 minutes' walk from Toba Station. About 250–260 thousand visitors a year, a tenth of them from abroad.
🚉 Toba · 7 min walk
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