Inside Uramura: A Glimpse into an Oyster Fishermen's Daily Life
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
By Toshio Hanatani
Local in Toba
When it comes to the flavors of Uramura, oysters are the undisputed star. Visually, the iconic scene of oyster rafts floating on the calm waters of Ikenoura Bay is a classic. However, if you step out of your car and wander through the quiet alleys, the real life hidden beneath the surface begins to reveal itself. Let’s uncover the authentic daily lives of the locals in the Moto-ura and Ima-ura districts.
Exploring Daily Life in the Oyster Town of Moto-ura
Uramura-cho is divided into two districts by the Uramura Bridge: Motoura and Imaura. The Motoura district is home to many oyster fishermen, with producers’ facilities and "oyster huts"—restaurants where you can eat oysters while gazing at the sea—lining the harbor.
Hisaharu Sugihara, a lifelong resident and former district leader, reflects on the passage of time:
"Oysters are the main industry now, but 60 or 70 years ago, mullet fishing was much more common. Back then, the harbor was filled with boat houses, and I remember being roused from sleep to help whenever the mullet came in."
The town’s economy has evolved over the decades, shifting from mullet fishing to seaweed cultivation and pearl farming.
Taste Local Rice and Miso at the Imaura Morning Market
If you visit the Imaura district, make sure to stop by the Imaura Morning Market, held at the former Imaura Nursery School from 8:00 AM on the first and third Sunday of every month.
In the back, there is a small café area serving miso soup, which is low in salt and pairs perfectly with local ingredients, especially fresh spring wakame seaweed. The miso is handmade by the "Asanoura no Kai" group, who learned the recipe from local elders using locally grown rice for the koji (starter).
"Believe it or not, there are actually rice paddies in Imaura," says Kazumi Kobayashi, a farmer and representative of the market’s organizing group. Near the old nursery school, you will find a covered stall with a sign reading "Grandma’s Shop." Kobayashi notes:
"If you drop by on days other than the morning market, you might catch the local grandmothers selling their own garden-grown vegetables."
It’s a whimsical arrangement, but if you’re lucky, you might just meet some of Imaura’s charming residents.
A Calm Inlet Sung About 700 Years Ago
In Imaura, the village behind the old nursery school is a three-dimensional maze of narrow alleys. When exploring, please be mindful that these are residential areas. If you walk along the seawall for about 10 minutes, you will find a stone monument standing in the depths of the inlet. It is inscribed with a poem from a 13th-century anthology: "The scattering waves, in the colors of spring... the wind blows even now across the shores of Asano-no-Ura."
The inlet remains as peaceful today as it was 700 years ago, with the white arch of the Onoura Bridge visible in the distance. When the cherry tree next to the monument blooms, it creates a breathtaking scene that most drivers on the main road would never notice.
Go Deeper
As you stroll through the shores and settlements of Uramura, you will encounter several stone monuments engraved with ancient waka poems. Jointly erected by local associations and the Toba Chamber of Commerce, they include explanations of the poem's meaning and origin. Even in places that seem unremarkable at first glance, you might find hidden stories etched into the very landscape.
