Bearing torches that light up the night as they swim out into the Pacific, Japan's storied "ama", or "women of the sea", pray for an abundant catch in a ceremony held by these female free divers for decades.
This year, however, most of the 80 white-clad women in Minamiboso, about 100km south of Tokyo, were volunteers, as age and disinterest cause the number of ama to dwindle in the fishing community.
Japan has the world's oldest population and last year the number of female free divers fell to 40 in the Shirahama district of Minamiboso, down 70 per cent from 2006, a local fisheries co-operative says. The group had an average age of 72 in 2023, compared with 68 in 2006.
"Those who still go out to sea are getting rather old. We have managed to keep the festival going by asking people in this area and beyond for co-operation," says Shoichi Iida, who has helped to organise the event for years.
The ama still follow their centuries-old traditions and dive to fish without any scuba gear or air tanks. Many say the work is hard and promises little pay, with few young women keen to keep the tradition going.
"This is not the kind of job on which you can make instant money," said Yoshino Hirano, who has worked as an ama for 16 years.
But not everyone is dissuaded from joining the group. Ayumi Inoue, 51, trained to become an ama three years ago.
"I grew up seeing older women working as ama and found the smiles on their sun-tanned faces very attractive and cool," she says. "Seeing the number of ama divers dwindling, to be honest, makes me sad."
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
Greatest of All Time
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.