Amami Oshima is a tropical island -- will there be a shisa-like creature at the airport?
I recently had the opportunity to go to Amami Oshima for the first time. It was a trip to visit local people for work on a women's magazine, but I was asked to write about the airport on this website, so I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on Amami Airport.
First of all, before going to Amami, I imagine what kind of airport it is. I have been to Naha Airport in Okinawa. It was many years ago, so I only have vague memories, but I imagine that Amami Airport will have a tropical atmosphere similar to Okinawa. I imagine that there will be a Shisa-like figure enshrined there.
Buy local specialties before you go and fantasize about them -- convenient mail order --
Before visiting Amami, I ordered some local specialties. They were wrapped in Amami newspapers, so it seemed like the island's atmosphere was being carried into the package. I sampled them while reading articles about Amami City's career guidance and the city sports festival.
Left back: Nari miso / Center: Amami mozuku seaweed / Right back: Sesame paste
The gap between delusion and reality -- Okinawa seems to have a different culture
Finally, the day to go to Amami arrived. Looking at the map, I could see that there are many islands around Amami, and airports such as Kikai Airport, Tokunoshima Airport, Okinoerabu Airport, Yoron Airport, and Kumejima Airport. I was curious about the fact that Tokunoshima Airport is also known as "Tokunoshima Kodomo-takara." Is there some kind of legend that says it will bless you with children? I'm glad that there are direct flights to Amami Airport.
The JAL plane was a Boeing 737-800. It could carry about 150 people, with three rows on each side, and I was surprised at how large it was. I had the image that small planes were the best for remote islands... And it was almost full, so I didn't expect so many people to be heading to Amami Oshima on a weekday afternoon. The fact that we departed at noon meant that it was physically easy and relaxed, which was nice.
The exterior of Amami Airport. It is a simple white building that matches well with the blue tropical sky.
A casual photo spot in the airport. It really makes you feel like you've arrived on Amami Oshima.
We arrived at Amami Airport after a two-hour flight. From the plane, it was a small, white, simple and cute building. We landed while looking out the window at the blue ocean. It was a comfortable flight with almost no turbulence. We went straight to the arrival lobby. There were lots of seashells and sake from Amami Oshima lined up. There were no shisa... though. It seems the culture is different from Okinawa. Instead, there were primitive masks used in festival ceremonies on display.
First, I took a quick look at the shops on the first floor. There were accessories on display, such as hats and wallets made of Oshima Tsumugi. At the back of the first floor was a pearl shop. Amami pearls are said to be famous for their high quality. Standing in front of the large Amami pearls with their beautiful color and luster, I felt embarrassed to have been wearing the cheap freshwater pearls that I had been wearing that day. Prices ranged from 8,000 yen, to a gigantic pearl necklace worth 4.86 million yen. It's unusual to find a pearl shop at an airport.
On the second floor of the airport, there is a family restaurant, a souvenir shop, and a limited time specialty shop. When I went there, there was an Amami mud dyeing shop.
Kubiki tea. I drank it little by little and it didn't make me diuretic. And best of all, it was delicious.
Even just a quick look reveals a great deal of information in this compact building. At the shop on the second floor, I bought a plastic bottle of Amami tea called "Kubiki no Ocha." According to the guide, it has a strong diuretic effect, and in Amami it is called herbal tea. It had a slight sweetness and was more delicious than I expected. There is also a chain family restaurant called Joyfull in the airport, and I had a light lunch there. It was a regular salad, but it was extra delicious. Maybe it's because the water is good.
The food in Amami has a different feel to Okinawan food, and I get the impression that it has a lot of gentle flavors. In contrast to Okinawan food, which is often stir-fried, Amami is mainly stewed. There are also many fermented foods that are said to be good for your health. I was envious of the people I met for this interview, including the owner of a restaurant, who still had black hair and firm, beautiful skin even in their 70s.
The food of Amami, the anti-aging island, that seems to be good for beauty and health is,
・Brown sugar is the mainstream
・Fermented foods such as miso and tofu
・Stewed main dish
・Abundant seaweed
・Drinks such as shikuwasa and guava tea
Everywhere you look, there are things that look good for your body.
I ordered a lot of things before going to the island, but I wasn't satisfied, so I ended up spending over 10,000 yen on purchases at convenience stores on the island and at the airport.
A convenience store on the island had a section selling Shimauta CDs. You can really feel the love for the local area.
First of all, I went to the convenience store in the morning and bought a lot of stuff. Then I bought a lot of stuff at the airport too.
JAL PLAZA (formerly BLUE SKY) had a stable selection of food. As expected, chicken rice was displayed prominently.
The JAL store at the airport sells stylish brown sugar sweets and cookies. The convenience store sells affordable brown sugar and herbal tea for distribution. The convenience store even has a CD section for island songs, showing the local love.
The amount of work that goes into making Oshima Tsumugi, as heard at Oshima Tsumugi Village, goes beyond imagination
The magazine interview ended without incident, and the next day we did some speedy sightseeing, visiting a brown sugar shochu brewery, a brown sugar factory, the sacred grounds, Tanaka Isson's birthplace, and a shop selling snake goods. The most impressive of all was Oshima Tsumugi Village. This is a facility that explains and sells the manufacturing process of Oshima Tsumugi. When I heard about the manufacturing process of Oshima Tsumugi, I was dazzled by the sheer amount of work involved. The fabric is dyed over 80 times with a plant called Sharimbai and mud. This is called "pre-dyeing," and at the thread stage, the dye is applied in dots to match the pattern, like making a pixel art picture, and hundreds of threads are lined up on the loom one by one according to the pattern, without being off by even a millimeter. Apparently it takes three days to set the threads on the loom. Who would have come up with such a laborious method...?
An artisan dyeing the silk threads used in Oshima Tsumugi. The color is created by a reaction between the components of the Rhaphiolepis umbellata and the mud.
Setting the threads on the loom so they don't slip is a difficult task. Their serious expressions are lovely.
The fineness of the weave is expressed in units called marks, and when it is over 10 marks, the gradation appears beautifully and is quite moving. A lady who was watching the exhibition was so moved that she cried, saying, "I'm in tears. They weave it like that!" It's amazing how Oshima Tsumugi can make people cry during the manufacturing process.
Can you see how the pattern is already visible at the thread stage? Dyeing a pattern onto thread is an unimaginable task...
Learning the truth and reflecting on the cost-effectiveness of Oshima Tsumugi
The price is quite high, but considering the enormous amount of work involved, it seems like a good value for money... However, it costs hundreds of thousands of yen and I have no knowledge of kimonos, so I, a common man, bought small items such as Oshima Tsumugi pass cases and seal cases.
At Hara Hub Shop, you can try on Oshima Tsumugi using perspective to see if it suits you.
Still, I couldn't give up on my dream of Oshima Tsumugi, so I went to Hara Habuya (a snake leather goods store that also has snakes) and took a photo of myself wearing Oshima Tsumugi by placing the photo over my face. The scale is somehow off, which makes it surreal and funny.
Later, after returning home, I borrowed a kimono from someone in Tokyo who had inherited an Oshima Tsumugi kimono from their grandmother, and tried it on. The surface was surprisingly smooth, and it was light and easy to wear. Even though it was silk, it didn't feel too luxurious, and it was comfortable to the touch.
Make your fantasy a reality. Wear Oshima Tsumugi
According to the kimono dressing instructor, Oshima Tsumugi is a water-repellent fabric and was highly valued as everyday wear. It's a laborious process that almost brings tears to my eyes, but the fact that it actually repels water is wonderful. I was moved by how the smooth comfort of the kimono, which doesn't feel like hard work, seems to reflect the positive spirit of the women of Oshima. Through preparation and review, I was able to immerse myself in Amami from both the inside and the outside.
By the way, I have fond memories of a flight attendant talking to me on the return flight while I was drawing an illustration. "You've already finished!" she said to me just before takeoff, and I reflected on how Oshima Tsumugi's careful handiwork takes time and effort to make compared to my own hectic work. There is always something to learn from traveling.
Where to buy mozuku and sesame seeds
| JAL PLAZA (formerly BLUE SKY) Amami Airport store | ||
|---|---|---|
| place | ： | Amami Airport Terminal Building 2nd Floor |
| phone | ： | 0997-63-2541 |
| open | ： | 8:00～19:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | Open all year round |
Where to buy Sotetsu miso (Nari miso)
| Yamaa Co., Ltd. Airport Shop | ||
|---|---|---|
| place | ： | Amami Airport Terminal Building 2nd Floor |
| phone | ： | 0997-63-1516 |
| open | ： | 8:30～19:00 |
| Closed Day | ： | Open all year round |
Next time preview
The next stop on our fantasy airport trip is Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture. What a gap between fantasy and reality!
Namiko Shinsan
Manga artist and columnist. Born in Tokyo, raised in Saitama. Graduated from Musashino Art University Junior College, Department of Design, majoring in graphic design. Recent works include "Nururan" (Ohta Publishing), "Adult Communication Techniques" (Kobunsha Shinsho), "Osha Shugyo" (Futabasha), and "Tamashikatsu Dojo" (Gakken).
Twitter account is https://twitter.com/godblessnameko
Photography: Another Choice Composition: Corello
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
