Tuna farming is not common in Japan due to restrictions by the government. It is even rarer to see tunas in their natural habitat because they’re usually found in deep parts of the ocean. Shinwa Town’s sea has the ideal conditions for fish farming, so Amakusa Fisheries was able to develop an aquaculture farm with a diameter of 50 metres and a length of 4 kilometres – making it one of the largest in Japan – so that you can watch tunas swimming freely.
The variety of tuna they raise is called the Pacific Bluefin Tuna, or the King of Tuna. It is the largest and most expensive tuna in the world and Amakusa Fisheries pride themselves in raising their tuna up to more than 100 kilogrammes. One of the highlights of the tour is during feeding. It is an overwhelming sight to see a school of 100-kilo fishes fight over food. Once the tour is over, treat yourself and your family to exquisite bowls of Bluefin tuna for only 1,800 yen each at Amimoto Ryokan Hamaya, only a minute drive from the port.
Price
Adult: 2,500 yen; Child: 1,500 yen (6-14 years old), free for children under 6 years old (lunch not included)
Address
Amakusa Fisheries Cooperative Association, 2637-1 Otao, Shinwa Town, Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture 863-0102
Website
https://www.t-island.jp.e.aex.hp.transer.com/special/maguro
Contact
+81 969 46 2339 (reservation should be at least 3 days before tour)
How to get there
Take the Amakusa-go express bus from Kumamoto Station Bus and get off at Hondo Bus Centre. From there, take the Kyushu Sanko Bus until Shinwa Fishermen’s Cooperative Association bus stop
