Bringing the lustre back to Japan’s cultured pearls

THE mantra “Plant a tree to grow a pearl” ­­­is one which pearl farmers of Ise Shima, Japan, hold dear.

Along this winding stretch of Japan’s Pacific coast, fragrant cypress forests – mostly natural, some planted – come right up to the water’s edge. Falling leaves and twigs fertilise the seas. This leads to an abundance of plankton, on which the region’s famous Akoya pearl oysters thrive.

Located 90 minutes by train south of Nagoya, Ise Shima – which encompasses the four cities of Toba, Ise, Shima and Minami-Ise – is the birthplace of cultured pearls.