To a Future with the Sea: Osatsu's Commitment to Sustainability

The town of Osatsu shows us a model of how a community-led DMO can balance the preservation of Ama culture with modern needs, ensuring local identity is passed down to the next generation.

A DMO Built by Residents and Businesses

Toba's Osatsu-cho is home to the largest number of Ama divers in Japan, with 514 women recorded in a 2022 survey. Their freediving tradition is an essential piece of intangible culture, but because fishing is limited to about two hours a day and restricted by the season, it can be an unstable source of income. To address this, local residents, fishers, and tourism businesses formed the Osatsu Ama Culture Management Council. This DMO directly employs Ama divers as staff for the Ama Hut experience restaurants, providing them with steady income while strengthening their cultural identity and status.

Generating Local Jobs through Regional Resources

The Osatsu DMO utilizes the "Ishigami-san" shrine, a place deeply connected to the Ama, as a primary cultural resource. With nearly 200,000 visitors arriving from across Japan each year, the economic ripple effect has allowed the community to maintain its independence and improve local tourism infrastructure. This circular economy ensures that the profits from visitors stay within the village to support the people who live there.

Repurposing Heritage: Gozaya and Osatsu Kitchen

As part of their ongoing mission, the DMO has renovated traditional old houses near the shrine's approach to create the Gozaya souvenir shop and Osatsu Kitchen cafe. Gozaya focuses on selling local products and goods related to Ama culture, providing a direct market for neighborhood artisans. Meanwhile, the cafe helps reduce food waste and increase fishers' income by serving "Zako-fry" made from small fish that are usually too varied for the standard market.

Specialized Tours for International Visitors

To meet the growing interest from travelers who want a more personal connection with the Ama, the DMO offers several curated activities. These include a "Sea-folk Lunch and Village Walk" with shuttle service for those using public transport, as well as a "Beach Clean and Sea Glass Workshop" that combines conservation with creativity. For a comprehensive experience, they also provide a full "Ama One-day Tour" accompanied by an English-speaking guide and round-trip transport.