ทดสอบ

::: UPDATE : 2016-05-23 17:14:01

The forested coastline of Ago Bay CREDIT: KENJI_YOKOTANI/KENJI_YOKOTANI

The forested coastline of Ago Bay CREDIT: KENJI_YOKOTANI/KENJI_YOKOTANI; click here to link other website
 

For many tourists, Ise-Shima is often overlooked in favour of the temples of Kyoto, the culture of Nara and the history of Hiroshima. But the peninsula – only four hours by train from Tokyo – is now on the brink of coming out to the world. 

The first hint came in the form of helicopters recently transporting “Aman Junkies” – luxury-seeking fans of the chic hotel chain – who were making a beeline for the hotel group’s latest outpost Amanemu, which opened on March 1. And Ise-Shima’s is now bracing itself for a further boost with the arrival of its most high-profile visitors yet: a string of world leaders, who will this month arrive to stage the Group of Seven Summit. 

 


The slow-paced rural peninsula may not seem the most obvious backdrop for superleaders to discuss counter-terrorism strategies. Yet Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe pushed hard for the event to be staged here, in a bid to cast a global spotlight on a place that is as rich in nature and heritage as it is internationally unsung.

“I started diving at 14,” smiled Shigeno san, a grandmother-of-seven, who dives daily between mid-March and mid-September as part of a 150-strong ama community. “My mother and my grandmother and everyone before me dived. It’s not easy and it can be dangerous. But it keeps you healthy and you get better with age.”