Oysters and its cultivation

- Sendai Japan is located in Miyagi prefecture
- largest city in the Tohoku (northeast) region and the pace is not as hectic as Tokyo's
- a back garden that even the Japanese adore

- February is the best season to have oysters and strawberries in Sendai
- Matsushima Bay, Japan is well-known for breeding oysters
- it is reputedly one of the top three most scenic areas in Japan
- the lookout point gives a bird's eye view of the entrancing bay
- through the thick fog, a different kind of beauty emerges in front of one's eyes

- Matsushima Bay produces an enormous amount of oysters due to its natural environment
- salt and fresh water interface where the bay merges with the Pacific Ocean
- this is extremely suitable for the breeding of oysters
- some people claim that oysters breed best in months with the number '2'

- every country has different methods of catching oysters
- besides having a booming fishing industry, the area is a tourist attraction
- one can see a unique natural phenomenon
- from February to 15 Aug every year flocks of seagulls converge there

- the farmers sail out to catch oysters despite the thick fog
- everyone has to squat as the captain needs to see what's ahead
- Matsushima Bay is dotted with islets which are clearly visible and gorgeous on sunny days
- the fog has marred the view but still is quite ravishing
- the poles mark the locations of oyster breeding
- farmers have their own poles and sail over to haul in their oysters

- a machine is used to haul the oysters
- the net has been dropped into the sea
- the machine separates the oysters as they're being hauled and washes the oysters with sea water that flushes in
- catching of oysters consumes a great deal of the fishermen's energy
- a rope of oysters weigh about 10 kg and there're about 17 ropes in all
- pricey job indeed

- prising open one oyster and no fishy smell at all
- tastes juicy, refreshing sweet, a little savoury like the saltiness of the sea water, delectable and delicious
- whether it's foggy, rainy, sunny, windy, the farmers toil to bring in their catch
- freshly harvested oysters must be processed before making it to the serving table

- first the oysters are rinsed, the water in another tank is different as it contains UV rays
- they are soaked for more than 10 hours
- the sea water in Matsushima Bay is clean and acceptable
- this is a necessary step to be doubly sure they are safe
- they are then extracted

- the Japanese have stringent food requirements
- any oyster accidentally cut or damaged in the process of extracting are disposed of
- they are sold with or without shells
- those sold without shells must go through a final wash and screening to ensure they're safe and clean

- the discuses (oyster shells) are stringed together for fishermen to drop into sea every July
- oyster eggs will drift in the sea and stick to the discuses
- after a week, the discuses are hauled out and moved to Matsushima Bay
- there the sea water is not so choppy and they'll be hauled out again in March the following year (8 months later)
- oysters eggs are stuck to these discuses and the fishermen will string them together and return them to sea
- in October the same year (after 7 months) they will haul them in again

- fresh oysters can last for 2-3 days
- they must be specially packed for exports
- every carton containing about 10 kg of fresh oysters can be delivered on the same day they're caught to Japanese customers
- scallop shells are used to breed oysters

- the Japanese government discourage the eating of raw oysters
- barbequed oysters for 3-5 minutes before opening the shells
- enjoy the succulent scallop with just a dash of soy sauce on top
- no need for anything else as it's sufficiently sweet and fresh
- oysters are either eaten raw or stir-fried with eggs in Singapore