The title of the documentary (it means woman of the sea in Japanese) refers to an ancient Japanese tradition, of women specializing in freediving into cold water, wearing nothing but a loincloth and a traditional headscarf, holding their breath for up to two minutes, in order to gather abalone and other shellfish, in an effort that usually lasts for about 4 hours. The skinny dipping part was abolished since the Meiji era, and currently, the divers wear goggles and rubbery black wetsuits, but without scuba tanks or any other gear to help them breathe underwater. Their numbers are withering as time passes, since they were 17,611 in 1956, but only 2,174 as of 2010, despite the fact that the ones who learn the profession keep at it until old age, occasionally surpassing 90 years. …show more content…
The focus is definitely on women, since the only man appearing on film is the captain of the boat they dive from. As Claudia Varejao presents three generations of women on the profession, she shows that despite their work being quite difficult, even more when considering that since their work is seasonal, they have to work on farms when they are not diving, they are quite happy, frequently laughing and enjoying their lives, both during their work and outside of it. Another point that becomes evident through various scenes in the film is their harmonic relationship with nature, and their spirituality, as exemplified by their frequent prayers. In that fashion, Varejao makes a clear statement regarding the importance of tradition, particularly in Japan, which, despite tits long history, moves rapidly towards modernism, leaving many of its traditions behind, particularly among the new