Ryukyu Glassware

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing? We English team members are doing well.

Warm wind is starting to blow recently. I felt that spring has come.　

The beaches are to open this month here in Okinawa.

Not only the spring but also the summer might have already arrived in our island.

Today, I would like to introduce Ryukyu Glass to you.

The production of Ryukyu Glassware was started in the Meiji era. At that time the main products were lamp chimney, milk bottle, and jars for various use (including fly-catcher jar).

 In the post war period, the glassware production reached a new phase, using the recycled colored bottles of beer and soft drinks brought in by the US military. At that time, the air bubbles in the glassware indicated a poor quality of the raw materials. However, these bubbles have become regarded as one of their hallmarks over the years. The fizzy glassware is a popular gift for tourists, and now comes in various sizes, shapes and colours.

100 % handcrafted, Ryukyu Glassware features the accidental beauty of air bubbles and color gradation.

They are available at gift shops throughout Okinawa and many on-line stores also offer a wide range of Ryukyu glassware items. Why not have a Ryukyu glassware to feel the nature of Okinawa?

Going down to the beach: Part 2

(Continuing from last posting)

Tonight's  the night.

 The girl was so determined to find out who he was.  So, just as he leaned toward her to give a good- night kiss, she secretly put a needle and thread on the back of his collar so that she could track him down afterward. The man left her house, and headed toward the nearby deep forest. The girl tailed her misterious lover.

After a long trekking, the girl saw the man entering the cave. She hurried to the cave, chasing after him. The minute she stepped into the deep darkness, terror struck her to breathless.  She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her eyes were fixed on a huge snake, coiled up, its yellow eyes glaring in the dark cave. It had a needle on the back of its head.

”Oh my god... My man is Majimun (monster)! “

Overwhelmed by horror, the girl screamed and skedaddled back to the village. She cried and begged her parents for help. They got freaked out with their dauther's tale, so they took her to a Yuta or village exorcist.

“You are pregnant with his baby.”, said the yuta to the girl.

“Hurry to the beach now, and wash your private part with the seawater. That’ll work.”

The girl rushed down to the beach, immersed herself into the seawater. She did just as she was told by the yuta. And then, what she saw was, lots of baby snakes crawling out of her….. underneath…underneath if you know what I mean... (Ew!)

At that moment, the girl realized that she was all cleaned up, never able to get back together with the man who she believed to be her lover…

From olden times in Okinawa, the sea is where women purify themselves and wish for happiness and health.  In other words, the ocean is a very sacred place for Okinawan locals.  In fact, during the certain days of  the year, we're not supposed to go into the water. Arrays of  rituals and festivals are also performed on the beach throughout the year.  

Okinawan people have long lived with the blessing of the ocean. The sea offers not only the harvest of natural produce, but also the source of imagination and protection to our lives. I hope we could leave this precious Okinawan ocean to the future generations, and they will receive the fruit of the ocean to their lives.


Written by Niki and Nariko

Hama-ui: Going down to the beach

Hello, this is Niki from Okinawa Tourism Support Center, long time no see!

We’ve been really busy with translation work. Sorry for the long absence.  

Last Saturday was March 3th on Chinese lunar calendar, the day of  Hama-ui.

Do you know what Hamaui is?

Hama-ui literally means going down to the beach.

On this day, people go to the beaches, play in the shallow water and enjoy nice stroll on the beach. It is the day of the lowest tide of the year, so you can also enjoy collecting clams on the shoaling beach.　

This Hama-ui occasion, however, derives from another thing which I am about to tell you now. It’s an Okinawan folk tale.  I hope that you don’t scare easily.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl in a small village. She was such a pretty girl that her parents cherished and adored her so much. She was a little princess.

One night at a late hour, the girl heard a knock on the window of her room. She wondered who it might be this late at night, but she opened it anyway.

There was a stranger standing in the dark. The stranger said that he saw the girl in the neighborhood and had a crush on her. Since the man was dazzlingly good looking, she fell in love with him straightaway. They started dating, spent many nights together mostly in her room.

The girl was so happy, but there was one thing she always felt curious about him. The man would never tell anything about himself, like what he does for a living or where he came from. Instead, he only told her that he adored and loved her so much. The girl became really mystified by his altitude, so she decided to find out who he really was.   

What would happen next is to be continued …..

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