Toba, a picturesque town in Japan’s Ise-Shima area, is renowned for its deep-rooted connection with the sea. Here, the ocean isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a way of life. When you visit this seaside town, you’ll discover that Toba is on a unique mission – one that involves not only preserving its pristine oceanic treasures but actively engaging visitors in the cause. Here, we’ll take a look at Toba’s innovative approach to sustainable tourism. We’ll delve into two unique activities–REMARE, a project that transforms beach plastic into new treasures, and Hamabeya, an inn that invites you to fish for your own meals. Through the activities that they, you’ll discover Toba’s commitment to environmental preservation and have the chance to be an active participant in the town’s endeavor. Come and see for yourself the sustainability initiatives that make Toba, Japan, a unique destination where nature and the local culture work in harmony.
Preserving the Sea’s Legacy
Much of Toba’s commitment to sustainability revolves around long-held traditions that connect it to the sea. The seaside town is well known for its edible oyster industry, not to be confused with the pearl oysters of Mikimoto fame, as well as its all-female Ama divers, who have fished for shellfish in these waters for thousands of years. Nowadays, though there are fewer Ama than there once were, the divers are careful to leave behind abalone smaller than 10.6 cm and other shellfish that are not in season, allowing the aquatic populations to recover, and protecting against overfishing. Meanwhile, while Mikimoto uses pearls from the peninsula in its jewelry, other parts of the pearl oyster are used in its cosmetics line, and the shells of Toba’s edible oysters are even converted into fertilizer for Toba’s crops by Toba’s oyster shell processing center and for water purification by the company Careshell.
Though Toba has plenty of exquisite nature, history, and culture to explore, more visitors are becoming involved in the town’s sustainable activities, meant to preserve this unique area.
Transforming Ocean Trash into Sustainable Products at REMARE
REMARE is a company with a vision to not only clean up plastic pollutants in Toba and educate visitors about this waste, but to transform it. Before opening REMARE in 2019, the company’s CEO worked as a navigation officer, and it was during one of his voyages that he came across a mountain of trash in the Philippines, a sight that might have inspired horror, but not here.
Instead, he thought, “We could do something with this.” This positivity eventually gave birth to REMARE, which takes plastic waste and finds ways to re-form and recycle it into new products, some of which you can see at its Toba workshop: keychains, earrings, lamps, and even fountain pens made of artistically marbled recycled plastics. Recently, REMARE has even begun offering activities for visitors to experience the re-birth of this plastic waste themselves.
When you arrive at REMARE, you’ll find an unassuming building, decorated with oyster shells and facing the sea. Despite its appearance, this small building is a place of great transformation. You’ll be greeted cheerfully by Ryoko Hane, who’ll provide you with the first tools you’ll need here: a bucket and a pair of tongs. Then it’s across the street to the quiet shore, where you’ll scour the beach for plastic trash to capture in your bucket. Ryoko points out a particularly common bit of colorful plastic tubing.
“These are spacers used in oyster farming,” she explains. “Typically, they’re re-used, but inevitably, some of them end up in the sea and wash ashore.” Here, though, once collected, Ryoko demonstrates how these bits of plastic and others are placed between heated plates and pressed for three minutes. With a bit of creativity in color selection, the resulting sheet of plastic can then be re-cut into any number of items–like perhaps a guitar pick!
Visitors can also select from a variety of shredded, colorful strips–indistinguishable from the waste they once were–and create a marble-like keychain of their own design with a simple resin pour, too.
Naturally, you’ll also hear a detailed account of the conditions in Toba, and the work REMARE and others are doing to counteract issues like ocean pollution (60% of Japan’s ocean trash comes from fishing gear!), and the effects that climate change has had here, warming the waters and causing a decrease in seaweed and ocean nutrients so vital to the oysters and other sea creatures in Toba. Little by little, though, REMARE hopes to make a difference here in the waters of this coastal town. See here to visit REMARE’s website, and book a visit to their sustainable workshop yourself:
REMARE Enjoy OPO Beach Cleaning + Craft Workshop
Ocean-to-Table at Hamabeya
If you’re looking for a slightly tastier way to get involved in sustainably enjoying the bounty of the sea in the Ise Shima area, you’ll want to visit the ryokan and restaurant Hamabeya. This charming, traditional inn is located right on the edge of the bay, just a ten-minute walk from Toba Station. It features beautiful rooms and baths that look out over the bay, where, during the summer months, you might even catch a short fireworks show over the water at night!
But even if you’re only visiting for a meal, Hamabeya offers the unusual opportunity to fish the local waters for your own lunch! With a prior reservation, the inn staff will escort you by boat to one of the rafts on the bay’s tranquil waters, and set you up with bait and a fishing rod for drop lining. This method lets you put bait into a small bucket and suspend your line vertically, with multiple hooks. It’s beginner-friendly, but the staff will offer pointers as needed. If you’re lucky, you’ll return to shore with some very fresh, local mackerel to be cooked up right there at Hamabeya!
Be sure to inquire in advance to try out fishing for yourself: Hamabeya
If you’re looking to do more than simply visit, the unique activities offered in Toba an opportunity to really get under the surface, and help preserve the natural riches of this town for future generations.