Japanese haenyeo

With the improvement of people’s living standards and the development of marine fishing and breeding technology, few young women in the 21st century are willing to engage in the high-risk and high-intensity profession of haenyeo. A 2010 survey found that there were only 2,174 haenyeo left in Japan, and the average age was close to 65 years old. If this continues, no one in Japan will be a haenyeo in 20 to 30 years, and the "haenyeo culture" that has lasted for thousands of years will completely disappear. In the face of the imminent disappearance of "Ama culture", the Shima area of ??Japan's Mie Prefecture, which has the largest number of active Ama, has launched various protection measures. Yoshitake Ishihara, director of the "Museum of the Sea" in Toba City, Mie Prefecture, has been actively promoting the declaration of ama as a world intangible cultural heritage. In 2009, haenyeo from all over Japan and Jeju Island in South Korea gathered at the "Museum of the Sea" for the first time to discuss how to inherit this traditional culture. At the end of October 2010, the 2011 Ama Summit was held in Aizaki Town, Toba City. The summit officially issued a declaration of action to declare a world heritage. The staff of the "Haenyeo Museum" told reporters that there are many reasons for "Haenyeo Culture" to be declared a world intangible cultural heritage. For example, Haenyeo has a very long history. It is a unique culture with women as the main body, and it is facing the crisis of disappearing. In addition, the most important point is that haenyeo are engaged in the most environmentally friendly fishing method. Haenyeo diving relies entirely on holding your breath, and each underwater operation lasts no more than two or three minutes. In order to prevent overfishing, the haenyeo have strict regulations on the fishing period in the sea. When they go into the sea, they will carry simple tools such as wooden rulers to measure the size of shellfish, and they will not catch seafood that has not yet matured. This is instructive for today's society to think about sustainable development and re-view the relationship between man and nature.

In the Shima area, Ama are gradually becoming a golden signature of the local tourism industry. Mikimoto Pearl Island is an important tourist attraction in Toba City. The island has a statue of Mikimoto Kokichi, the world's first person to realize artificial pearl cultivation, and a museum introducing the pearl cultivation and processing process. In addition to the dazzling pearls, the live performance of haenyeo is another highlight that attracts tourists. Tourists can watch the divers diving and catching seafood up close without having to make a special trip to a remote fishing village. Of course, these haenyeo are not entirely authentic. They just perform for tourists in front of the stands and do not actually fish. If you want to see the authentic and original Ama divers and learn more about their life and culture, you should also go to a real fishing village. Aizashi Town in Toba City is a fishing village that thrives on Ama. Here you can not only visit the museum displaying "Ama Culture", the shrine where Ama often go to pray before going to sea, but also the "Ama" where Ama rest after work. Haenyeo Hut" where you can taste all kinds of delicious seafood they just caught. A seemingly ordinary small fishing village constantly welcomes buses full of tourists. What surprised the reporter was that the Ama divers in Aizaki Town did not reject the non-authentic divers who performed at Mikimoto Pearl Island. Some of the women who played divers in the scenic spots returned to the fishing villages when they got old and became real divers fishing in the sea. .

The series of efforts Mie Prefecture has made by holding the Ama Summit and applying for world heritage are not only to protect the traditional culture of Ama, but also to revitalize tourism and develop the economy. Mie Prefecture Governor Suzuki Hideyoshi told reporters that by protecting culture well, tourism can be promoted, and after economic benefits are generated, culture can be better protected.