Ama Hut "Hachiman Kamado" — Restaurant in Toba

There are a couple of Ama Huts dotted along the Toba coastline, and I'm glad that we picked Hachiman Kamado, which was very close to the Shinmei Jinja Shrine. The experience might come a little foreign to visitors, and it does take a little bit of learning to know what to expect, so it's basically these few things you need to note:

It's a great experience for the region that you shouldn't miss, as you will be eating food that has been caught and cooked by Ama Divers who practice skin diving unique only in Japan and Korea. You must book in advance, as there are limited sets of food and seatings available. Hachiman Kamado has English speakers so for non Japanese speakers you can go ahead to book without issues! We were lazy and the hotel booked it for us. There's 2 seatings we went for the later one at 130pm. The lobster, abalone and perhaps the shells were all still alive when the ladies bbqed them. After the lunch, there is a short presentation from the 88 year old "leader" on Ama diving equipment as well as her long career as one of the remaining 2000 Ama Divers in Japan! She's a really cool grandma and the translator had a hard time keeping up with her! We could pay by credit card, although I think cash would be the most convenient!

It's really good fun, and there were both locals as well as foreigners eating the really fresh seafood cooked and enjoying the company of the warm hearted Amas. You shouldn't miss this experience if...

A unique and memorable experience to be able to talk to ama (with the help of Junko-san, the interpreter). Brief explanation on what an ama is: Freedive for 5-10m in the ocean to catch pearls and seafood Ongoing tradition for 3,000 years and recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO Usually work for about 2-4 hours and then take a rest in their huts

Our tour group ate in one of the ama huts then food served was based on what we reserved in their website. I had the Deluxe Seafood Set which included grilled shellfishes, sashimi soup, rice, and an option to choose awabi (abalone), Ise ebi, or both. I chose the Ise ebi since I already tried Ise awabi the previous year. Nothing really beats freshly caught seafood. All of us enjoyed the food cooked by the ama and we had the opportunity to learn more about them after lunch.

Another plus point for Hachiman is that they offer free shuttle ride from Toba Station to Hachiman area and going back to...

The concept of this is interesting to preserve the culture of the Ama women divers, however I felt it is rather over priced for what it is. We paid ¥24,500 for a course B (standard ¥4500) and C (abalone ¥8500) plus $11,000 for 2 lobsters. The cooking is very basic and too salty, much like a low quality izakaya sumibiyaki (charcoal grill). The price equals ¥4,000 for the abalone and a few extra shellfish but you can get grilled abalone for ¥1,500 at the local Showa izakaya, much better cooked.

The people were lovely but I thought ¥24,500 (with 1 drink shared between 2 of us) was too much to pay. I hope the profit goes to preserving this cultural heritage. There are two other Ama Huts in town which are...