In Japanese, a jagged stretch of coastline is referred to as riasu, which is taken from the Spanish word "rias." The word is most commonly used on the northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, or Galicia, which is characterized by hundreds of small coves that provide homes for a rich variety of sea life.
This week, the travel-variety show "Sekai Ururun Taizaiki" (World Sojourns; TBS, May 11, 10 p.m.) follows 32-year-old actress Kaoru Okunuki to a small village on the Galician coast where women do all the fishing.
In this region, the men traditionally undertook long voyages to fish the ocean, leaving the women to fend for themselves and feed their families in their absence. Consequently, coastal fishing has become an exclusively female occupation. In the village Okunuki visits, permits for coastal fishing are limited to 400 women, and there are 5,000 waiting for slots to open.