About 15 minutes by car from Naha Airport. About 40 yachimun stores line the Yachimun Street in Tsuboya, Naha City. From traditional designs to up-and-coming ones. With a well-balanced selection of both, as well as Ryukyuan glassware, guma-guwa is the perfect place to find a favorite for yourself.
Point 1: The eye-catching exterior! The stylish “guma-guwa
The stylish “guma-guwa,” which looks like an old Ryukyuan house, stands out even among the many traditional stores in Tsuboya’s Yachimun Street.
This store is owned by a potter called “Ikuto-en,” a potter of Tsuboya pottery. A shisa (Okinawan lion) is also displayed at the entrance!
I actually went in and looked at the products they sell, and they are stylish. I wonder if they are made by young artists. The prices are a little high for everyday use, but the contemporary designs are attractive. (e.g., 3.5″ plates from 1,760 yen, café au lait bowls from 3,960 yen, etc.)
Point 2: There is not only Yachimun but also Ryukyu glass!
The yachimun store “guwa-guma” in Tsuboya sells not only yachimun, but also Ryukyu glass. They are all beautiful Ryukyuan glass with bubbles that match the antique look of the shop!
The prices are slightly cheaper than yachimun, starting at 2,090 yen.
These attractive Ryukyuan glass pieces, which are both delicate and rugged, will soothe your heart just by looking at them. It is also nice that the same product has a slightly different shape when looked at closely!
However, the cut glasswork such as conic glass and cullet glass, which may have value as works of art, are so popular that they are often sold out just as soon as they come in.
Whether or not you can find your favorite is a matter of “luck” at the time!
Point 3: There are also teas and food items that would make good souvenirs!
At guma-guwa, you will also find teas and food items that would make good souvenirs. Traditional souvenirs, not limited to those from Okinawa, often have a rather coarse sense of style, but the items at “guma-guwa” are stylishly packaged!
You will be pleased when you give them as souvenirs.
For example, brown sugar ginger powder (438 yen), a small box of Shimanone brown sugar (638 yen), and caffeine-free herbal tea (756 yen) are recommended!
We are happy to have food items selected with the same sense of taste as the Yachimun and Ryukyu glass. These too are so attractive that you may end up buying them for yourself rather than as souvenirs!
