In recent years, Naha has quietly become one of the coolest cities in Japan. The locals always knew what as up, but, for anyone to take notice, it took an onslaught of Bohemian refugees from the crushing work-work-work lifestyle of Osaka and Tokyo. Naha is where it’s at, these days. There’s now an ecosystem of shops, cafes, restaurants and guesthouses with a focus on the local, the artistic and the unique. Uehara Shotaro’s Brathess and Anshare are part of that new ecosystem. They are fine representatives of what’s happening now in Naha: local craftsmen gathering together to sell unique products.
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Leather craftsman and entrepreneur Uehara Shotaro, who holds ownership of both shops, is a Naha native in his 30s, and the perfect representative for the city’s hipster makeover. He located his two shops, Anshare and Brathess, right at epicenter of that makeover, the territory around Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street. The area is home to an increasing number of hotels, and visitors looking for unique souvenirs of their time in Okinawa. Coverage in lifestyle magazines and blogs have driven demand at the shops, and many of the customers hail from those big cities up north.
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Anshare is the more approachable of the two shops, with a focus on leather basics. In a time when nearly everything is disposable plastic or rubber, it’s heartening to think that the products at this shop are natural, could last a lifetime, and will biodegrade faster than the centuries it could take plastics to break down. The shop can also work with requests for custom-made products.
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The emphasis at Anshare and Brathess is on creating something unique. An object made of leather is, by its very nature, completely unique; leather is the product of a particular animal on a particular plot of land, the product of a chemical reaction in the tanning process that is never quite the same, the product of a particular craftsman; and leather is meant to live alongside you, changing as you use it, adapting to the uses to which you put it. The unique leather goods at Anshare and Brathess are the antithesis of the disposable-everything consumerism that seems to infect every aspect of life.
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Among other products like wallets, notebook covers and minimalist clutches, Anshare’s camera strap is particularly popular and can be spotted around the necks of local photogs toting Yashica TLRs or faux-vintage Fujifilm cameras. The straps can be customized in-house, with options of stamping, or a burning process that allows the artist to personalize the leather with flowing cursive calligraphy.
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At Brathess, Uehara Shotaro and the other craftsmen and craftswomen that he has gathered around him, offer their more artistic pieces. The focus is still on leather, as at Anshare, but also on pieces made from brass and precious metals. Once again, each piece is completely unique, meaning that if something catches your eye, don’t hesitate to pick it up—it might be gone the next time you go in!
Kokusai Towns Inn
2-12-7 Matsuo Okinawa Main island
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