No Men: The Exclusively Female Diving Profession in Japan

Despite the fact that the window is already the 21st century, and Japan is an advanced country with a developed economy, here you can still meet representatives of a unique profession - ama divers.

Diving for pearls, marine life and algae - this is the oldest Japanese profession, which is more than one thousand years old. And although men also sometimes worked as divers, ama women were considered the best in this matter. But why women? It turns out, thanks to physiological characteristics, women are more adapted to diving in cool water, and can also do without air longer than men.

While male fishermen went fishing for the sea, their wives, eager to help the family, began to learn to dive in shallow water, where it was fairly safe, and the waters were rich in fish, shellfish and crustaceans. So one of the most prestigious professions in Japan - ama divers - was born.

Sea women are not just a profession, they are part of Japanese culture. Ama divers were considered independent members of society, and their earnings often exceeded the wealth of doctors and government officials. For this reason, ama women had a unique opportunity by the standards of Japanese medieval society - to choose their own husband.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the profession of ama was very popular. Girls and women dived into the coastal waters without any special uniforms, having only a basket for collecting seafood and a knife for the extraction of shells.

But with the emergence of the artificial pearl growing industry, prices fell sharply, and the profession itself began to lose its former popularity. Modern ama are mostly middle-aged women, although among them you can meet young girls. Their appearance is already far from medieval ama, they dive in masks and wetsuits. Today, divers pluck in the coastal waters of marine inhabitants used for food, as well as brown and red algae, from which agar-agar is produced.

Despite the reduced number of ama, this oldest Japanese profession has every chance of surviving in the modern world. In the small town of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture, there is even an "Ama Club" where experienced women of the sea share the secrets of their skills with the younger generation. But there is not a single boy or youth, the entrance to the club is open only to representatives of the beautiful half of Japanese society.