Pearl City Kobe Council to Join the 53rd Kobe Festival with Limited Pearl Harvesting Experience and Ocean Charity Program

The Pearl City Kobe Council (PCK) will exhibit at the 53rd Kobe Festival, held on Sunday, May 17, 2026. On the day of the event, professionals involved in every stage of the pearl business, from pearl farmers and Kobe processing artisans to wholesalers and retailers, will gather as booth staff. Drawing on the history and processing techniques of “Kobe pearls,” which date back to the Taisho era, PCK will offer a limited pearl harvesting experience for the first 150 participants and hold a charity program to help protect the sea. These initiatives are part of Kobe’s effort to pass on its identity as a “city of pearls” to the next generation. The Kobe Festival special program includes a pearl harvesting and pearl accessory-making experience for the first 150 participants. Visitors choose an Akoya oyster from a pool, open it with a special knife, and remove the pearl inside. The harvested pearl can then be made into an accessory on site. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 17, 2026, in front of Sannomiya Shrine, east of the Kobe Daimaru clock, within the N area of the Kobe Haikara Market. The pearl harvesting fee is 1,500 yen, and accessory making, including metal fittings, starts from 1,500 yen. The program ends once all oysters are sold out. PCK notes that this popular activity usually sells out early, and recommends that media visit in the morning. The moment families open the oysters is expected to provide strong photo and video opportunities. The booth will also feature a Q&A board titled “The Secrets of Kobe Pearls,” presenting questions such as “Can pearl oysters be eaten?” and “What do professionals look at in a pearl in just one second?” Kobe is not a pearl farming area, but for about 105 years, pearls from around the world have gathered there and been refined to meet global quality standards through Kobe’s processing expertise. The answers will intentionally not be written on the board, encouraging visitors to speak directly with artisans and pearl farmers stationed at the booth. PCK will also hold a joint charity initiative with the nonprofit organization Hitotsubu no Shinju, or “One Pearl,” to communicate the cycle of nurturing forests and protecting the sea. PCK says that even the world’s finest processing techniques cannot exist without beautifully grown pearls, and the program aims to raise awareness of increasingly serious changes in the marine environment. Supporters will receive genuine pearls or limited items donated by pearl farms and pearl companies that support the initiative. Donations of 100 yen or more receive a PCK original clear file; donations of 300 yen or more receive two items chosen from a clear file, masking tape, and microfiber cloth; donations of 2,000 yen or more receive an unprocessed single pearl; donations of 3,000 yen or more receive a small single-pearl pin badge; and donations of 5,000 yen or more receive a large baroque pearl pin badge. Beyond this event, PCK continues to promote education, hands-on experiences, talent development, and public awareness. Its activities include lectures at universities in Kobe, educational materials for third-grade elementary school students, workshops such as the “My Pearl Tour,” sharing expertise and processing advice with future creators and students, and displaying a large signboard featuring five beautiful loose pearls at the Kobe Port Terminal to welcome visitors from around the world with authentic quality. PCK Chair Kazunoshin Imai said the pearl harvesting experience is designed to help more people discover the appeal of Kobe’s local pearl processing industry, as well as the beauty and fascination of pearls. Opening an Akoya oyster and encountering one’s own pearl is a valuable opportunity to feel the special value of pearls up close. The excitement of not knowing what kind of pearl will appear, and the encounter with the unique character of each individual pearl, are part of the experience’s special appeal. PCK hopes to pass Kobe’s pearl culture on to the future and, through this hands-on event, envision a future in which people and the pearl industry shine together.