A Landscape for the Senses: The Story of Tōshi Island and its Wakame Seaweed

By Motomi Nakamura

Local in Toba

On Tōshi Island, the salting of wakame seaweed takes place at processing plants along the roads and all around the harbor, wrapping the entire island in its scent. This is more than just the smell of the shore. It is the very essence of a vibrant fishing village in spring. This fragrance has been recognized as a "Scent Landscape," a scenery that remains in one's memory.

The Scent of Boiling on the Shore

Along with the soft sea breeze of spring, a mellow, briny aroma envelops the island. From March to April, the wakame harvest reaches its peak on Tōshi Island. Selected as one of the Ministry of the Environment’s "100 Scent Landscapes," wakame processing here is more than just fishing. It is a seasonal tradition that symbolizes the life of the island. The rising white steam and the seaweed turning a brilliant emerald green in large cauldrons create a special scene for the senses that can only be experienced at this time of year.

Harvesting and Sorting One by One

The boats depart for the wakame harvest before dawn, between 3:00 and 4:00 AM. To harvest the seaweed, fishers head to the cultivation farms by boat, pull up ropes suspended in the sea, and skillfully cut the large, fully grown wakame one by one with a sickle. Once the boat is filled with glossy, brownish wakame, the harvest ends and they return to shore.

Around 8:00 AM, the Taiyo-maru, operated by the husband-and-wife team Takemi and Yoshimi Nakagawa, returns from the sea. Immediately after unloading, they skillfully remove the roots (mekabu) and stems to sort the seaweed into leaves. Yoshimi’s handiwork is surprisingly fast. Since the mekabu at the very bottom is layered and slippery, she holds the base firmly with her left hand and uses a knife with her right to cut through it in one stroke.

In the meantime, Takemi fills a large cauldron with seawater and sets the boiler. It takes about 40 minutes to reach a boil. While he washes the boat and sorts the seaweed, the seawater begins to bubble. He tosses the wakame in for a quick blanch. The brownish color transforms instantly into a vivid emerald green. At this moment, a powerful yet mellow briny scent spreads across the harbor along with the rising white steam.

Salting to Lock in the Fresh Flavor

The blanched wakame is immediately cooled in cold seawater to set the color. Afterward, it is processed through "salting" to improve preservation. The seaweed is mixed with salt in a drum shaped machine. Watching the wakame spin around, Takemi adjusts the amount of salt. "When the salt is working, it tightens up," he says, judging by years of experience. After this salt kneading, the seaweed is left to rest for a day and night. Removing the moisture gives the wakame its firm texture.

The final step is "de-veining," where the tough stems are removed. This is also done by hand. The blade is slid into the base of the stem and pulled down in one motion, instantly separating it into the right leaf, the left leaf, and the central stem. With the flowing skill of an expert, they also judge the quality of the wakame in an instant. The seaweed is then shaped into "salted wakame" while maintaining its high quality.

Blessed Conditions for High-Quality Wakame

What is generally called wakame is the leaf portion. While it is sold fresh during the peak season, salted wakame is popular as a souvenir because it lasts longer and retains a texture and taste close to its natural state. It is well suited for raw consumption in sashimi, salads, or sunomono (vinegar dishes). The stems are called kuki-wakame and are often processed into tsukudani or sold as salted products. Mekabu is mainly shredded and sold blanched. It is characterized by its sticky texture and is often added to miso soup or udon, or mixed with soy sauce and seasonings to be poured over rice.

The waters around Tōshi Island are an excellent fishing ground where nutrient-rich fresh water from the Kiso Three Rivers and the Miya River flows into Ise Bay and mixes with the Kuroshio Current. The wakame grown in this environment is thick yet tender, characterized by a mild flavor and a briny scent, earning it a reputation as a first-class product.

Since ancient times, Tōshi Island has been known as Miketsukuni, a region that provided seafood to the Imperial Court. The wakame raised here is more than just a food ingredient. It is a product of the island's history, nature, and the hard work of the fishers. It is also a familiar part of life for the island’s children, and Tōshi Junior High School even holds hands-on learning sessions for wakame cultivation.

Go Deeper

On Tōshi Island, both cultivated wakame raised by human hands and wild wakame that grows naturally in the harsh environment are harvested. Both benefit from the riches of Ise Bay, but you might find it interesting to ask a fisher or an Ama diver about the differences in how they grow and their unique characteristics.