Ago Bay

Ago is a drowned river valley - a ria coast, where rising sea filled the branching valleys and left a bay of about sixty islands, narrow inlets and calm sheltered water. That calm is why the pearl industry took hold: Mikimoto Kokichi produced the first cultured pearl in these waters in 1893 and perfected the round pearl by 1905, and the wooden rafts anchored across the bay, from which oyster baskets hang, are still a working industry and the visual signature of the place. Sightseeing boats, some rigged as Spanish galleons, cross between the inlets, and the Yokoyama viewpoint above Kashikojima gives the whole bay at once, which is the best way to understand the shape of it. The Shima peninsula is inside Ise-Shima National Park, and the bay's other tradition is the ama - women who free-dive for shellfish, some of whom host lunches in seaside huts.

History

The area was first known as Miketsu-kuni, a name that marked it as a source of food. Kōkichi Mikimoto first cultivated pearls in the bay in 1893, and the cultured pearl industry soon took root here (Wikipedia, Ago Bay).

What you'll find

• A ria coast - drowned valleys making a bay of about sixty islands.
• Pearl rafts - working oyster culture anchored across the sheltered water.
• The Yokoyama viewpoint - the whole bay shape from above Kashikojima.
• Ama divers - free-diving shellfish gatherers, some hosting hut lunches.

When to go

March to November. Two days. Clear mornings for the viewpoint.

Practical notes

The bay is dispersed and getting between points takes time. Cruise boats are dressed up in ways that some find tacky. Ama hut lunches must be booked in advance. Typhoon season disrupts boats in late summer.

Nearby

Ise Jingu is north; Toba and Mikimoto Pearl Island are north-east.

Key facts