Gala Salt Factory

D. and some salt

Hmmm, a salt factory, you say? As in a place where they make salt? I think this is the off-season for activities around here, because the place was pretty dead, and we weren't quite sure what we were seeing. (Not that we'd have figured it out with more people around, but still.) Gala is mostly a place to see their work in action. We saw one man sitting with his mortar and pestle and bowl of salt, and another scooping off huge layers of salt from a flat container of seawater. And we saw these windmill things in the picture below. I'm not sure I would head back here a second time. Once again, if I could read Kanji I think we might have actually learned something. ;) The best part of their factory was the view from their cliff! And we did indulge in their salt ice cream, which tasted just like the homemade ice cream we all used to make in 2nd grade using ziploc bags.

The windmills

Here is Gala's own description of what happens with the windmills: "Condensation Tower- As the pyramid-shaped windmills rotate, the wet drum nets revolve causing the seawater to evaporate. Also the temperature in the tower is increased by the heat of the sun enhance the evaporation. It is the first seawater condensation facility in Japan; eco-friendly built.   Brewing Center - As the salt is simmered in a specially made flat pot over a charcoal fire, the snow white crystallization begins. In time, Okinawan sea salt, abundant with bittern, is produced.    Solar Crystallization House- The solar crystallization house utilizes the radiant sunlight and red Ryukyuan roof tiles which have the nature of absorbing moisture. The dense seawater produced at the Condensation Tower is put into a container made of red tiles, and sunbaked under the sun. Sunbaking creates beautifully glittering salt crystals."
Has anyone ever seen something like this somewhere else?

An awesome stone structure down below that we walked onto

She's becoming a ham.
By the way, you can click on any pic on the blog to enlarge it.