Okinawa Glass Blowing

Okinawa is known for Ryukyu glassware. Okinawa is part of the chain of Ryukyu islands, the most southern islands of Japan. Glassware began in Okinawa around the late 1860’s the time of the Meiji Era. However, after World War II, resources were scarce so empty glass bottles from American troops were recycled and used to make glassware that became known as Ryukyu Glass.

The ingenuity of using available resources and recycling glass resulted in unique colours and the presence of air bubbles in the glass. Two features that Ryukyu glass is known for.

So when we visited Okinawa, making our own glasses was a definitely in our plans! For other ideas and things to do in Okinawa see my post coming soon.

We visited Glass House in the Forest. Firstly, we were given a lump of heated green glass on a pole. The glass was put in a mould and as we blew into the pole, the glass filled the mould, giving a textured pattern.

A pole was attached to the opposite end and the glass was reheated in the kiln.

We were guided through the shaping of the glass, rolling the pole and carefully working on opening the top of the glass. The glass was super hot, however we were given gloves and a heat shield to protect our faces from the heat.

The completed glasses need two days to slowly cool down in the kiln. The glass house took down our address (Japanese address only), packaged them and sent them to us in Tokyo once they were cool. They were packed extremely well and transported easily home to Australia.

Who would enjoy this…

This is my favourite activity from all our trips to Japan, there was something really satisfying about bending and shaping glass. If you are in Okinawa then I’d highly recommend putting this on your list of things to do. Our youngest was 6 at the time and managed well.

Bookings

There are a number of places in Okinawa where you can make your own glasses. Glasses take two days to cool and then can be posted to you for a fee. If you don’t have time to wait for your glass to cool, there are other activities such as jewellery or photo frames that you can take home immediately.
We went to Glass House in the Forest, it cost 1650yen pp. While you are there, check out their glass shop and the Pineapple Park nearby!
For other glass making experiences check out the Okinawa Island guide.