Yomitan pottery village......and Fresh fish!
Once of the more interesting aspects of Okinawa is the strong local craft industry - the pottery produced here is quite exceptional. There are several places on the island with "pottery villages", locations where the traditional crafts are maintained. Although I never managed to find the Tsuboya pottery area next to Kokusai street, I did manage to find Yomitan pottery village (thanks to the signs that pointed me there, LOL!).
Almost endless bowls drying in the sun...although the high humidity, I'm not sure how "dry" the pottery actually gets?
The kiln is angled up the hill....as I understand, various pieces of pottery need different temperatures for firing and the angle allows for the different types of pottery to be fired all at the same time
There were so many different pieces of pottery all out drying in the air before being fired....it was so cool to see them! There were probably 12-15 different potters, each with their own workshops and shops with finished goods for sale.
The woodpile! There were very precise piles of each of the different sizes and kinds of wood.....It was amazing to think that the pottery was fired in a wood-burning kiln considering the enormous amount of heat needed to correctly fire the pieces!
CRAZY MARKET!!
Seafood....anything edible that comes from the sea was here.....much of it still alive, LOL!
I had heard several people mention the crazy food market that was part of the Kokusai. market...but I didn't see it during me previous visits....I had to go back and see it for myself! Crazy is the only word to describe it....any weird, edible "thing" was here! It was like living in a real-life episode of Andrew Zimmern's food program! I found out later that you can purchase the food items and upstairs, above the market, is a restaurant that will custom cook your shopping finds. Unfortunately I was there late in the day so I didn't get the "full" experience.....not that I think I would have the stomach or nerve to even try some of the things I saw in the place!
Almost endless bowls drying in the sun...although the high humidity, I'm not sure how "dry" the pottery actually gets?
The kiln is angled up the hill....as I understand, various pieces of pottery need different temperatures for firing and the angle allows for the different types of pottery to be fired all at the same time
There were so many different pieces of pottery all out drying in the air before being fired....it was so cool to see them! There were probably 12-15 different potters, each with their own workshops and shops with finished goods for sale.
The woodpile! There were very precise piles of each of the different sizes and kinds of wood.....It was amazing to think that the pottery was fired in a wood-burning kiln considering the enormous amount of heat needed to correctly fire the pieces!
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