Tsuru is Japanese for crane, er the bird. It is number 2 in the hierarchy of birds, number 1 is the Phoenix. The cry of the crane is believed to have great authority. https://japanesequizzes.com/portfolio/tsuru-no-hitokoe/

Anyway, as I am coming back from birdwatching I get a call from Kiyuna san, “Can you come to the marina? I have a bird for you.”

We meet on his boat and sit down for coffee. He presents me with a beautiful strip of fabric.

It looks like a very expensive item, the fabric is beautifully woven. He says it is silk. We have been having a lot of conversations about birds recently. Kiyuna san does most of the talking. He constantly returns to the concept of Tsuru no Hitokoe. Maybe he thinks that by giving me the material more people will listen to me.

Kano san shows up with a new friend, Maki san. She is a scream! She has just arrived at the marina having single handedly sailed a 30ft boat down from Kyushu.

She had never sailed before she set off on this trip! The boat was knocked down twice and Maki dislocated her shoulder. She had to sail with one hand for 2 days in extreme pain. I ask her where she is headed to.

“I don’t know, I am just sailing South.”

“What is your boat’s name?”

“Tsuru!”

“The Tsuru flies South!”

The sudden arrival of Tsuru in my life is a bit disconcerting. They are everywhere.

Before she started her boating adventure, Maki drove around the world on 250 cc Yamaha trail bike.

“What is the best place you have visited?”

“Okinawa!”

We have a hilarious afternoon. Maki san is a great addition to the community.

Kiyuna san has lost another tooth, making him toothless in Ginowan.

Kiyuna san has many more strips of material and I think I understand that they are used in traditional kimono outfits. They are wrapped around the waist.

I use mine as a stringer on the dining table.