JapanGuides.net
The Toba Sea-Folk Museum (Museum of the Sea) has exhibits organized around seven themes on the relation of the Japanese people and to the sea, including the history of the ama divers and fishing techniques indigenous to the Ise-Shima region. Japanese wooden boats and canoes from around the world are also on display.
It the only museum in Japan dedicated to understanding the traditions of Toba’s fisher-folk, and the relationship between man and the sea. For over 30 years the museum has collected and preserved the antique fishing equipment of Mie Prefecture’s fishing villages, and researched the traditions and religion of the area’s fisher-folk.
The museum offers a variety of hands-on programs, including shellfish purple dyeing courses, a popular course where lovely designs are created with the ancient color called “Tyrian purple”, which is made from pigments in the purple glands of shellfish. The course takes about 30 minutes, and is offered on Saturday and Sunday (with some exceptions).
Address and Contact
Toba Sea-Folk Museum, Tokai Suisan Kagaku Kyoukai Foundation 731-68 Uramura-cho, Toba City (Toba-shi), Mie Prefecture 517-0025 Direction: Take a bus from JR or Kintetsu Toba stations, then a five-minute walk from Umino-Hakubutsukan bus stop. TEL: 0599-32-6006 FAX: 0599-32-5581
Website: http://www.umihaku.com/past_event/english/index_english.html