Okinawa Part 2 ~ This Little Adventurer

Here's the second half of our trip to Okinawa!

I have been on the hunt for a blown glass Furin (Japanese wind chime) and I had read about the famed Ryukyu glass of Okinawa. I made it my mission to find one while I was in Okinawa. I heard rumors of "the glass man" on Yomitan peninsula that makes beautiful handmade pieces out of recycled glass so I decided to try him first. Unfortunately he doesn't make Furin, and he doesn't speak English at all. He was really sweet though, and through hand gestures, google translate, and google images we were able to communicate enough for him to give me a lead of where to look next. I bought one of his lovely little blue pitchers and he threw in a nice little glass bowl as a gift.

Nearby is the Yomitan Pottery Village, so I decided to check that out while I was up there. It was an adorable peaceful little village with kilns, shops, and the homes of the artists who work there. Each shop has their own unique style, patterns, and colors.

One of the main buildings crawls up the hillside like a scaled dragon.This is a climbing kiln called a Noborigama. These wood fired kilns have been used since the 17th century and where a piece of pottery is placed in the kiln matters as far as it's final appearance. Pieces closer to the base of the kiln will have a thicker ashy glaze than the pieces near the top. The potters of the village all come together and share the kiln when they fire it up.

Shisa are one of the most iconic things of Okinawa, they are quite literally everywhere. They are on rooftops, fences, in gardens or in front of stores, and they are found from the humblest dwelling up to an actual castle. It is neat to see all the different styles, colors, and artist interpretations. They are thought to scare off evil and usually come in pairs. The one with an open mouth is to scare off evil spirits, and the closed mouth is to keep the good ones in.

On our drive up I noticed these signs for Honey Comb Ice Cream. I was so excited to stop there on the way back, and I was not disappointed. The homemade vanilla ice cream was topped with local raw honey and a generous piece of honeycomb. It was so delicious I had to bring David back the next day to have some more!

Okinawa is covered in beautiful beaches. We loved staying right next to White Beach. The water was gorgeous and it was a really fun beach. The entire thing was covered in coral and shells, I wish I would have taken more time to pick out more treasures but if I did I would have a house full! Eisley loves being on the beach and she was having so much fun just squatting down and picking up sand and letting it run through her fingers before grabbing another big handful. The beach also has a great view of the ships and the LCACs as they go in and out.

Our little duplex is on top of that bluff

For dinner one night we went to Sam's by the Sea. It is so nice to have some good seafood. They have a delicious curry soup, and make their breads in house. They served us yummy cherry-walnut rolls and pineapple rolls. David had BBQ shrimp and a filet and I had the crab stuffed red snapper with a filet as well. I was really impressed with everything they had and I would love to go back sometime!

We saw these guys marching through the streets, I tried to google what they would be dressed up for, but for now it is a mystery.

Continuing on my hunt for a blown glass furin we headed to the Ryukyu Glass Craft Village. There doesn't seem to be very much around it, and it was on the southern tip of the island. We drove through a lot of sugar cane fields to get there, but it was worth the drive! It had a lot to offer. They had a half a dozen craftsman huddled around a flaming kiln on a day that was already incredibly hot and muggy. They were happy to demonstrate all the steps that went into making each piece. If it wasn't so hot already we would have liked to stay a bit longer and watch. They have a museum and a couple really nice shops. Even the exterior of the building was covered in a pretty glass tile mosaic.

The store was massive and had many different styles and unique pieces. They also had my glass chimes! I was so excited! I loved all the beautiful handmade pieces.

In front of the shops they have a Blue Seal ice cream stand. We enjoyed some sugar cane and Okinawan salt cookie cones.

On our way back north we stopped at Shuri-jo Castle which was the palace of the Ryukyu Kindom. It features an interesting museum of artifacts including a silk umbrella used by the King. It was almost completely destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, but was lovingly rebuilt in the 90's. The whole place is so impressive but I loved seeing the living areas which were super fancy as well. Here's our favorite fun fact from our visit:

The "Bridge of Nations" Bell (万国津梁の鐘 Bankoku shinryō no kane^?) was cast in 1458, during the reign of King Shō Taikyū, and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of the castle. The 721 kg bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs on the castle site.^[4] The bell's twin was taken by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854 and placed on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. -Wikipedia

So, the bell hanging in T-court at the academy that they ring when Navy beats Army, once hung here in Okinawa. It was neat to be able to be there in both places.

The King's Throne

Living and "meeting" areas, the whole place smelled like cedar, it was lovely!

We didn't get a chance to visit during the day, but we took a sunset drive out to Oodomori or Mama-san beach. It is a gorgeous beach and the views on the way are incredible too. I love that the bluff looks kind of like a proud shisa lion staring out over the water protecting the island.