Carving the Outline, Finding Myself: One-of-a-Kind Eyewear Born in Sabae

Whenever I hear the name Sabae City in Fukui Prefecture, I find myself thinking about the meaning of 'seeing'.
Seeing the scenery.
Seeing the expressions on people's faces.
And, how I see myself.

Sabae is not just a town that makes glasses.
It is a town that has spent a long time cultivating techniques that stay close to people's vision and daily lives. With over 100 years of history as the center of the domestic eyewear industry, the craftsmanship of artisans still breathes within the rhythm of the town.

The experience of 'making original glasses' in this town,
I feel, is more than just a workshop.
I believe it is a time to gently touch upon the contours of oneself through the act of creation.

A quiet dialogue begins the moment you choose the material.
What colors are you drawn to?
What shapes do you want to pick up?
These are the signs of 'the current me' that appear before any logic.

Using the fret saw.
Carving little by little.
Polishing.
Refining.

Each of these steps is not flashy.
Yet, they are very honest.
If you rush, it warps; if you are impatient, it shows in your hands.
The shape responds quietly to the extent that you have touched it with care.

I like this kind of time.
As I move my hands, the noise in my head gradually grows quiet.
The sensation of things that couldn't be put into words shifting into something with form.
It is somewhat similar to the work of organizing one's inner self.

I think glasses are mysterious tools.
They are not just for 'seeing'.
Just by putting them on your face, your impression and mood change slightly.
While they are tools for receiving the outside world, they also reflect a small intention of 'this is how I want to be'.

That is precisely why there is meaning in making them with your own hands.

Rather than a mass-produced item chosen by someone else,
you choose with your own senses and carve out the outline with your own hands.
In that process, while it may seem like I am looking for 'what suits me',
I think I might actually be looking for 'the self that feels right'.

Sabae has the soil to embrace such time.
Even in the city's tourism guides, it is introduced that you can encounter the craftsmanship unique to the town of eyewear through open factories and hands-on workshops.
It is a town where you can encounter the atmosphere of craftsmanship at a distance closer to daily life than tourism.

When you place yourself in that air,
you gradually come to understand the preciousness of 'witnessing the process of creation'
more than 'obtaining a finished product'.

I also feel a deep meaning in engaging with this experience through the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system.
It is not support for receiving a product,
but rather participating in the craftsmanship of artisans and the time of culture that the town has accumulated.

A town of craftsmanship cannot continue on technique alone.
There are people who think, 'I want to preserve this touch,' and
people who choose, 'I want to experience this time,' and
only then is a flow created that connects to the future.

Support is not just about supplementing something.
It is about layering your own will onto something you do not want to see disappear.
I am always moved by that quiet choice.

In the time spent making glasses, people probably become a little kinder to themselves.
It is okay if you cannot draw a perfect line.
Even if it is a little misshapen, it remains as a trace of your hands.
Rather, that unevenness gives it a one-of-a-kind expression in the world.

That is similar to how we live our lives.
It is not only uniform and orderly things that are beautiful,
but it is within the outlines carved out while lost that one's true self resides.

I think that is one form of resilience.
It is not about not breaking,
but about being carved, getting lost, and while refining little by little, still taking responsibility for your own shape.

That kind of quiet strength flows through the town of Sabae.
Not in a loud voice,
but in the sound of tools and the touch of materials being polished,
layers of memory remain of people making things in a human way.

Touching that memory
is not about longing for the past,
but perhaps about knowing that the 'power to create' still remains in your own hands today.

And that feeling will surely return to your daily life.
You will want to treat things with a little more care.
You will stop rushing your choices.
Not only will your vision change, but the way you see the world will change a little, too.

I believe that smiles 100 years from now are born from places like this.
Someone carves glasses in Sabae,
a moment where they can quietly think, "I made this with my own hands."
That realization keeps the light of craftsmanship alive for the next generation.

If you feel like you have lost sight of your own contours a little right now,
if you want to reconnect with your own senses rather than someone else's values,
this experience will surely be a gentle gateway.

The one-of-a-kind glasses you make in Sabae
are not just for adjusting your vision.
They are a beacon of your voice, reflecting the small will within you.

That light,
carrying the warmth of your palms,
quietly and surely connects to the future.

—
OriHimé Aiko Kisaragi