Off the coast of Japan’s verdant Saikai National Park, the Kujukushima Islands lie scattered amid a sprawling network of narrow inlets. Their name literally translates as “99 islands,” though there ...

Japan's akoya oysters have been preëminent among cultured pearls ever since Kokichi Mikimoto first established the industry in the early part of this century. But since 1994, something has been ...

Seawater pearls were first cultivated in Japan by Mikimoto Kōkichi, founder of the Mikimoto brand – these Akoya pearls have long been Empress Masako’s favourite She wore the imperial Pearl Sunburst ...

AGO BAY, Japan — For generations, a string of perfectly round, classic white pearls — the kind worn by fashion icons like Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy — has been the epitome of understated ...

MIE, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's akoya pearl industry, which began in the 1890s when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world's first cultured pearls, is facing collapse due to plunging sales and stiff ...