Mikimoto Pearl Island

Known as “Pearl King,” Kokichi Mikimoto was the first in the world to succeed in cultivating pearls. The Pearl Museum and Kokichi Mikimoto Memorial Hall, both located on Miki Pearl Island in Toba City, offers visitors an insight into Japan’s pearl industry. The Pearl Museum, the first of its kind in Japan, showcases jewelry made with natural pearls, as well as luxurious artwork featuring cultured pearls. The mechanism of how pearls are made and techniques used in Pearl Farming are explained in detail. You can also see pearls from around the world. Visitors to the Kokichi Mikimoto Memorial Hall will learn about Kokichi’s life and path to making the world’s first cultivated pearl. The moving story of how Kokichi went from running an Udon shop to cultivating pearls, as well as his passion for the Pearl Farming industry and way of life, are explained in English. On Mikimoto Pearl Island, you can watch demonstrations by amas (woman divers) wearing traditional clothing.

April 30, 2016