AMA TOWN, Japan — Sazae is a local delicacy for residents of the Oki Islands, located about 60km off the coast of the Shimane Peninsula in western Japan. Otherwise known as turban shell, it can be found as simple curries and soups, to signature dishes and sweets mimicking the sea snail’s twisted shell. It has had a long history in the local diet and one young entrepreneur, Maaki Sakanashi, has been extending her community’s connection with the popular seafood by turning it into the most unlikely of things, decorative candles.

Sakanashi, like her Jamaican craft-person counterparts who often use discarded coconuts, pieces of wood, or seashells to create imaginative craft items, somehow saw further use for shells left behind after eating.

“I started to go around collecting the shells rather than watch them become waste,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Interested buyers can personalize their own candle.

Sazae are most available during July and August when they can be fished by divers. The mollusc inside can be prepared in many ways, leaving empty shells, which households are more than willing to pass on to Sakanashi for free.

“I collect on average about 50 shells during the summer season,” Sakanashi said.

Using her creative juices, she figured that they would make great candles. This then turned into a business, selling a locally crafted item to visitors. For a mere 300 yen (JA$312), one can walk away with a little piece of the Oki Islands.

It doesn’t stop there. There is the option for personalization, as Sakanashi will allow guests to make the candles themselves. The process is simple. Those interested are provided with the base elements, a coloured sponge, and a range of coloured sand, smaller sea shells, various beads, and a wick. She leaves the hard part, the pouring of the hot wax into the shell to her expert hands. Once everything is put together, and after a few minutes to allow the wax to harden, the result is kawaii — Japanese for cute.