A canal town where you can blow your own glass
Otaru is an old port town on the coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island, about 40 minutes by train from Sapporo, where stone warehouses line a canal. Its glassmaking began with oil lamps and fishing floats, and today the town is full of glass shops and studios. Walk the canal, browse for a cup or plate to take home, then book a short session to make a piece yourself.
A canal lined with stone warehouses that once stored goods unloaded from ships, with a walking path along the water. The gas lamps along it come on at dusk, when the warehouses are reflected in the canal. It is about 10 minutes on foot from JR Otaru Station.
A glass shop in a merchant's house from the early 1900s, filled with glassware made by hand in Otaru. Cups, small plates and bowls fill the old rooms, light enough to carry home as souvenirs.
A studio where you make tonbo-dama, glass beads, by melting rods of colored glass over a small flame and winding them into a bead with a pattern. Staff guide you through each step, so no experience is needed. Book ahead.
A studio where you blow your own glass cup or vase at the furnace with a craftsperson beside you, or etch a design onto a glass by sandblasting, spraying fine sand through a stencil. Blown glass has to cool slowly, so ask when you book how to collect it or have it sent. Booking is needed, and closing days vary.
A large glass shop in an old stone warehouse, with room after room of glassware and lamps. You can also etch your own design onto a glass by sandblasting, which needs a reservation.
A museum built to look like a Venetian palace, where Venetian glass is shown in rooms with period furniture and chandeliers. It is about 10 minutes on foot from Minami-Otaru Station.