【Rediscover Paradise Okinawa by Corona Extra] Vol.4 Fascinated by Ryukyu glass and the sea, glass artisan Ryu Tomori . Waiting for the day when the light shines again.

Okinawa's tourism industry was severely affected by COVID-19. Did you know that the beer brand "Corona Extra" is providing full support to save it?

The content of the program is that the brand's budget will be used to pay in advance for vacant rooms at lodging facilities in Okinawa Prefecture, and the purchased rooms will be offered to consumers for the vacancies. (AlreadySpecial Site(Applications for the campaign are now being accepted at ). In addition, we have interviewed four groups involved in tourism in Okinawa and are distributing their life-sized stories in a documentary movie.

HOUYHNHNM's will show the stories of the performers that could not be included in the movie in a limited number. We will follow their backgrounds and perspectives on life over a total of 4 episodes. In this final installment, Ryu Tomori, a craftsman of Ryukyu glass, which is attracting attention as a new traditional craft in Okinawa, will appear.

-The encounter with Ryukyu glass and the similarities between Ryukyu glass and the sea, which I love.

Ryukyu glass is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Okinawa. The beauty and delicate luster of these works, which can only be produced by hand, are not only used as daily sundries, but also attract much attention as a work of art.

Mr. Tomori works with glass every day as a Ryukyu glass craftsman, so why did he decide to pursue this career?

. When I was a teenager, I formed a band with my friends and spent my days immersed in music. But as I got older and my life circumstances changed, the band broke up, and I just hung around after that. I hadn't found anything in particular that I wanted to do. At that time, I had a chance to visit the Ryukyu Glass Village where my mother worked. When I saw how Ryukyu glass was created in the workshop there, I was deeply moved and immediately decided, 'I'm going to do this job.

Although Mr. Tomori has been working in this industry for more than 20 years, he says, "I am still in the process of growing up. In the past, he even went to Italy to train at a Venetian glass studio, where he was told that the manufacturing process is similar to that of the Venetian glassworks.

As he steadily gained experience as a glass craftsman, one day he had an experience that overlapped with his own roots in Ryukyu glass.

. "Since I was a little girl, I loved the ocean, having grown up in an environment where it was right next to me. Even after I grew up, I became passionate about surfing. One day, as I was getting out of the water as usual after surfing, I couldn't take my eyes off the shimmering surface of the water. It was an ordinary scene, but when the light and the water came together, it was no longer just the ocean or just water. I wanted to express this emotion through glass.

The "Mizukage" collection, which depicts the shimmering surface of the Okinawan sea, has become one of Tomori's most popular series.

-The fire in the kiln went out for the first time since the establishment of the company.

These days were suddenly visited by the onslaught of COVID-19.

In 2017, Okinawa Prefecture had solidified its position as a tourism-driven prefecture, with the number of tourists who visited the island surpassing that of Hawaii, one of the world's leading resort destinations. Naturally, the damage and impact of the COVID-19 disaster was enormous in reaction.

The Ryukyu Glass Village, where Mr. Tomori's glass studio is located, was also affected immeasurably, as the majority of its revenue came from tourists from outside the prefecture and abroad.

On April 17, about two weeks after the state of emergency was declared, the kiln, which had not been shut down except for kiln replacements since its establishment in 1983, was finally forced to shut down. As Mr. Inamine, president of RGC, the operator of Ryukyu Glass Village, said, "We had never stopped even when the number of tourists declined due to the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and the Lehman Shock," this shocking event was widely reported with surprise not only by the employees working there but also in Okinawa Prefecture.

. - just keep going, that's all we can do.

However, even in such an unprecedented emergency situation, Mr. Tomori and the other Ryukyu glass artisans were looking forward. I was anxious, but I never thought about leaving this job or looking backward," he said. All I could think about was what I should do now and how to move forward. Mr. Tomori, who has been doing this job with the sole intention of conveying his excitement to others through Ryukyu glass, says that his resolve did not waver under the circumstances.

I will continue to create glass anyway. Whatever form it takes, I am happy if it reaches people and heals their hearts, even if only a little. There are many things to think about, but in the end, that's all we can do. We will just continue to make glass.

In her eyes, we saw a strong will that would not be broken by any hardship, and a sparkling light of hope that shines like the surface of the water.

Photos_Yoshihiro Kato(ikism)

The film is available on the official YouTube channel.