Osatsu Komado

Kansai


In a hut overlooking the ocean, ama (professional, mostly female, shellfish divers) grill seafood lunches – including items from their morning haul – and entertain with stories about their (sometimes treacherous) lives at sea. Some Japanese ability is necessary to appreciate the latter, but they're warm and welcoming and eager to feed international visitors.

Book in advance online by 5pm the preceding day, and look out for a follow-up email (in English) from them to confirm. Unless your party is large, be sure to book Ozegosan, the smaller hut, perched on the cliff with spectacular views.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kansai attractions

1. Shinmei-jinja

0.5 MILES

Popularly known as Ishigami-san, this humble shrine is dedicated to the goddess Tamayori-hime and has long been a place for the area’s ama (traditional…

2. Naikū

11.52 MILES

Ise-jingū's inner shrine is dedicated to the sun goddess, Amaterasu-Ōmikami, considered the ancestral goddess of the imperial family and guardian deity of…

3. Oharai-machi

11.92 MILES

This street approaching Naikū was developed in the Edo period (1603–1868), when pilgrimages to Ise-jingū were at an all-time high, to provide visitors…

4. Sengūkan

13.62 MILES

At the entrance to Gekū, this museum illustrates Shikinen-Sengū, the ceremonial reconstruction of the buildings of the Ise shrines and the transfer of the…

5. Gekū

13.63 MILES

Ise-jingū's outer shrine dates from the 5th century and enshrines the god of food, clothing and housing, Toyo'uke-no-Ōmikami. Daily offerings of rice are…

6. Ise-jingū

13.64 MILES

Believed to have been founded in the 3rd century, Ise-jingū is Japan's most venerated Shintō shrine. It’s in two parts – Gekū, the outer shrine, and Naikū…

7. Castle-Guard Residences

25.44 MILES

Just south of the castle ruins is a street of original row houses built as residences for the samurai charged with guarding the castle. One (closest to…

8. Matsusaka Merchant Museum

25.52 MILES

Ozu Seizaemon was one of the most successful merchants of the Edo period, and his well-preserved timber-framed home, originally built in the late 17th…