Obiki Fishing Harbor
Sightseeing boat cruises, fish filleting experiences, and sushi workshops are part of a community-led program of activities offered at Obiki Fishing Harbor, a working harbor on the Shirasaki Coast. Activities are available by reservation to introduce visitors to the lives and traditions of local fishermen and the karst topography for which the coastline is famous.
On cruises around the coastline, passengers ride in a small fishing boat piloted by an experienced captain to tour coastal limestone formations that date back 250 million years. Tours last either 30 or 60 minutes and visit sea arches, nesting sites for colonies of black-tailed gulls, and former limestone mining sites. With prior notice, the captain can prepare chum for passengers to feed to the gulls during longer cruises.
In workshops at the harbor, members of the fishing community show visitors how to descale and fillet locally caught fish such as mackerel and horse mackerel. They demonstrate fish filleting, explaining the basics of fish anatomy and knife techniques while sharing anecdotes and episodes from their lives. Sushi workshops offer instruction on how to make the local-style sushi roll that is covered with dried wakame instead of dried laver (nori). Participants learn about the origins of wakame sushi, the intricacies of processing wakame, and the types of seaweed harvested locally.
Obiki Fishing Harbor is next to Obiki Beach, a good location for swimming and snorkeling. Diving schools in the area offer snorkel rentals for use at the beach, as well as diving packages that include dive sites around the coastal limestone formations. Shirasaki Ocean Park is a 15-minute drive from the harbor, and the observatory there affords views of the coastline from a limestone outcrop.
