Amami Ōshima, Japan

New-to-us Port #53.

Today, we ported at Naze on the seventh largest island of the Japanese Archipelago … Amami Ōshima … an island that has only recently begun to welcome cruise ships. In fact, it was Insignia’s first call on this port and the traditional plaque-exchange was held to mark the occasion.

Our research for this port indicated that there might be a limited number of taxis and that public transportation was practically non-existent because the schedules were not geared to accommodate tourists. After much deliberation, we decided to do a ship’s tour entitled “Cultural Amami.”

Thus it was that we met up with our group in the Insignia Lounge at 9:00a this morning. We were assigned to the bus that was added on to accommodate those of us who had been waitlisted for the tour. Just 15 of us on the bus, which was lovely.

Our first stop was at what the tour description referred to as the Kimono Village. The place is actually named Ōshima Tsumugimura. The brochure we were given referred to it as a museum where they demonstrate the process of manufacturing Ōshima tsumugi pongee … a special silk fabric made by hand.

This expensive — and much sought after — fabric is used in kimono-making. The process dates back some 1,300 years and is a symbol of Amamian folk culture. Unfortunately, the incredibly painstaking process is a dying art as it seems that no one wants to spend eight hours a day to weave just five inches worth of fabric.

We started out with a walk through the garden-like grounds to the dyeing shed. Here our guide explained how the raw silk thread is colored using a natural dye from the sharinbai tree. Then the dyed thread is washed in mud that is rich in tannins. The number of times the thread is dyed/dried/dyed/dried determines its color. The most sought after black color, for example, is achieved by dyeing the thread 80 times in the sharinbai solution and washing it 5 times in the mud.

Next, we were shown how the shimebata loom is used to bind raw silk thread with cotton thread to create what is called kasurimushiro. These strips of fabric are then handed over to someone who picks away some of the cotton thread so that the silk threads may be dyed to match the pre-selected colors in the pattern.

The final step is the weaving of the fabric … with the weft and the warp weaved simultaneously. The weaver carefully matches the thread to the pattern, fine checking the weave every 3 inches or so in order to adjust the threads as necessary to make sure the pattern is being followed exactly. The result is a very soft, hard-to-wrinkle silk fabric. The process is considered to be an art form no less important than Gobelin tapestry.

The demonstration ended in the showroom where we were invited to take photos despite the “no photos” sign. The fabrics were simply beautiful … the detail amazing. Kimonos were priced upwards of $5,100 … depending on the fabric chosen. There were pre-made jackets and shirts … all quite expensive. Of course, custom orders were also available. Way out of my price range, but I did find a small purse that came back to the ship with me.

A 10-minute drive from Ōshima Tsumugimura took us to our second stop — Amami Park. It is comprised of two main facilities — the Amamino-Sato, which showcases the area’s natural beauty, history, and diverse culture; and the Tanaka Isson Memorial Museum of Art, which features the works of the noted Japanese-style painter.

After a brief welcome, we were free to go off and explore on our own. Mui and I went to the art museum first and enjoyed Isson’s work. Then, we followed the meandering path through grounds filled with subtropical plants and went to the observation tower.

Taking the elevator to the top, we were able to see the views in every direction as well as the vegetation for which the island has been designated a World Natural Heritage Site. The really surprising thing to me was that much of the growth is only 40 years old … planted to replace the old growth that was cut down and sold all over Japan until inexpensive woods from elsewhere around the world began making their way into Japanese markets.

Returning to the main hall, we wandered through the various exhibits before returning to the bus for the 20-minute ride back to Insignia. Lunch; R&R on the veranda for me … where I am writing this footprint; painting in the Artist’s Loft for Mui.

As was the case yesterday, with everyone on board, we left our berth 30 minutes early … serenaded by a local group as we did so.Read more