Uwajima on Shikoku's southwest coast is Japan's pearl-farming heartland — and also home to a fiercely proud food culture built on sea bream, mandarin oranges, and Tajima wagyu. A private tour combining a working pearl farm visit with a white-tablecloth lunch is the Inland Sea's great secret.
What to expect
A private guide collects you at the port and takes you by small boat to a family-run Akoya pearl farm where ama divers demonstrate traditional harvesting techniques and allow you to open an oyster yourself, keeping the pearl inside. Back in Uwajima's castle town, lunch unfolds at Kadoya — a 200-year-old ryokan — with tai-meshi (sea bream rice cooked tableside), seasonal sashimi, and mikan orange dessert. The afternoon ends with a stroll to Uwajima Castle, one of Japan's twelve original feudal castles, for panoramic Inland Sea views.
Good to know
Uwajima is served by Yawatahama Port (ferry connections across the Inland Sea) and Uwajima Station on the JR Yodo Line. The pearl farm boat trip is weather-dependent — have a graceful indoor alternative lined up. Pre-book both the farm experience and lunch at least 2 weeks ahead; Kadoya seats are extremely limited.