The Sea Museum is a rare museum in Japan with the theme of "sea and humans"! Let's experience the old sea life!

Drive along Pearl Road while admiring the views of the ocean and fishing villages!
I came to TobaCity cho, Toba City, where the Sea Museum is located!

The scenery along the way was spectacular, and I was immediately excited.

Arrived at the sea museum! The grounds are a sophisticated space, including the building accented with bright red doors.
That should be it! The Maritime Museum is also highly acclaimed as a building, having been selected for the Architectural Institute of Japan Award and one of the top 100 public buildings.

As soon as I entered the museum, I found that the large, tall, dome-shaped space was used to dynamically display the relationship between people and the sea using videos and models.

The Maritime Museum has approximately 60,000 folklore items related to the sea, including fishing gear and wooden boats used for ama fishing, fishing with nets, and fishing with nets.

Of these, 6,879 items are nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties, and the collection includes valuable folklore materials such as various fishing gear and tools used by people living on the sea, wooden fishing boats, and shipwright tools.

Now, let's take a look at them in order!
First, go to the exhibition building A floor that continues from the entrance.

This vehicle is the "Moby Dick."
This submersible was used for seabed observation surveys when building the Seikan Tunnel in 1963, and it was surprising to hear that it was built by a fisherman! I was able to actually go inside and get a feel for how people worked back then!

There is also an exhibit on the first floor titled ``The God of Ise Loves Sea Food'' that recreates the seafood from Toba and Shima that is actually offered as an offering to IseJingu.

When I went up to the second floor, there was an exhibit about ocean pollution.
"Pollution" has occurred since 1950 due to high economic growth. Both on land and at sea, the lives of many humans and countless other creatures have been claimed.
Here, people's voices and photos from the time are realistically displayed.

Next, in the faith corner, a giant Daikichi dragon appears! When I looked closer, I realized that it was made of oyster shells! Seashells are used as votive tablets, and many wishes are offered to them.

Next, we headed to Exhibit B, an exhibit related to fishing.
A realistic-looking diorama of fishing from Toba-Shima to Kumano-nada area is recreated.

This is spiny lobster fishing. This is where the gillnet is pulled up.

There's also a huge diorama that recreates the state of pole-and-line fishing for skipjack tuna!
Even the facial expressions of the fishermen are depicted in detail, making you feel as if you have traveled back in time.

Fishing gear actually used by people who lived at sea, such as fishermen and divers, are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner with explanations.

Found AmaHut（Amagoya）!
The fun of the hard-working Ama divers and their chatting time at AmaHut（Amagoya）is recreated. The diorama of the Ama divers was so realistic that I could almost hear her voice saying, “Come on!” (“Come on!” in the Ise-Shima dialect)!

Attracted by the voices, I joined in with the Ama divers chatting!
Inside the hut, audio of the Ama divers' conversations is also played, which is an interesting twist.

Here, too, you can learn about how Ama fishing has been carried out using dioramas.

Next, we headed to one of the museum's biggest attractions, the storage/ship building.
This is Japan's largest ship storage facility that cannot be seen anywhere else.
Look at the entrance door! I felt so excited!

When you step inside, you'll see over 80 wooden ships from all over the country!
You can see the entire ship, and the view from there is truly spectacular!

Until just 50 years ago, Japanese fishing boats were all made of wood, but now they are made of plastic and equipped with engines, and there are now only a few shipwrights, compared to the more than 10,000 in the country.

Here you can learn about the development and evolution of Japanese ships, starting with dugout boats, which were made by hollowing out a single large tree.

``Since ancient times, ships have not only been used for fishing, but also played an important role in transporting goods and people, war, and information, and our modern lifestyle is based on that history. '' says director Hiraga.

After learning a lot about the sea and people, we also recommend experiencing it!
On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, we hold experiences unique to the Maritime Museum.

This is how to make sea magnets (500 yen for 2 pieces).
Make magnets by combining various shells.
If you add eyes, you can make them into creatures such as fish or turtles!

There were also rare shells that I had never seen before, such as snails with various patterns and flower petal-like snails.
What should I make?
If you take your work home, it will become a memory of your trip.

In addition, we also make seaweed resin, shell straps, candle making, etc.
You can experience making works designed by the staff of the Sea Museum.

Currently, the event is held on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays without reservations, so please check the official website for details!

This is a museum shop that sells souvenirs.
The most popular item is this stuffed eel!

There are also many original goods that can only be obtained at the Maritime Museum.

If you're hungry, head to the cafe "Arami" attached to the facility.
In addition to menus that use luxurious local seafood such as seafood oyster curry and whitebait carbonara from Toshi, we also have a cafe menu that uses seaweed that is gentle on the body.

This is "Homemade Tokoroten" recommended by the staff. One of the signature dishes made by boiling Amakusa grown in Toba. I had it with black mitsuki powder!

It took about an hour and a half to look around at a leisurely pace. I was able to see, touch, and learn many things as if I had traveled back in time.

Why are there so many cultural assets left behind?

Going back in history, the Maritime Museum was opened in 1971 with the purpose of collecting materials from disappearing fishing villages along the coast of Mie Prefecture. With the motto of ``collecting anything,'' they have collected fishing equipment that was actually used by Ama divers and have continued to carefully preserve it.

``I want the current generation to know about life by the sea in the past.I want people to come here and feel something, and how people living in the present can utilize the wisdom and methods that have been created to live with the sea.'' The museum is looking forward to hearing the answer to that question,” Hiraga said.

I was able to feel the long history of people coexisting with the sea, and enjoy the feeling of valuing the culture of the sea!


Currently, as a countermeasure against coronavirus,
・Please wear a mask and fill out the admission form when entering the building.
・When purchasing tickets and viewing exhibitions, please keep sufficient distance between each other.
・Alcohol disinfectant is installed in each building.
・For the time being, admission to the storage room and special exhibition room will be restricted.
We are doing the following. For more information, please visit the official website.