The next few posts are likely to be photo heavy and words light. For my birthday we went to Blue Moon Studio in Kawagoe for a glass blowing lesson, it was an great day, the staff at Blue Moon were excellent, I was a bit worried about having a small boy + very hot kiln but there was no point in which I hd one of those mini panic attacks that parents often get when watching their kids do things. I can't show you the finished pieces, they take several days to cool down and then they ship them to you, so probably after Christmas I can show them off. Most of the pictures are of Ebi-kun doing his lesson, he is far more photogenic than I am!
 |
| first you choose the style of pot and the colours you want to use |
 |
| the glass is heated and rolled in the colour glass pieces |
 |
| The glass is rolled on wet newspaper to help shape it |
 |
| and of course the blowing - more difficult than it looks |
 |
| Shaping the end |
 |
| shaking the pole to extend the length of the glass |
 |
| making the end flat |
 |
| reheating the glass - it was so BLOODY hot! |
 |
| Glass in the kiln |
 |
| making the opening |
 |
| admiring the finished piece |
 |
| and just to prove I did it too.... |
Come back after Christmas to see the finished pieces!
I was thinking "Wait a minute. For YOUR birthday, Ebi-kun had a glass blowing lesson?" and then I saw the last photo. What a memorable birthday! :D
ReplyDeletehahaha yes, daddy thought Ebi-kun would want to have a go too so we both did it.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! Seems like a wonderful way to celebrate birthdays!
ReplyDeleteI might have to visit this workshop, it is not very far from where I live. Thank you for sharing the story!
That's such a cool present. I hope the voucher for it was screwed inside a big log? Ebi-kun looks like he's having such a great time. Look forward to seeing the finished pieces.
ReplyDeleteWow! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing to do on a birthday! Happy Birthday to Ebi-kun.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, what a great present! I love glass and glass blowing, and did it once with Midori in Okinawa. I think this is what I will ask my husband for for my birthday, or maybe just treat myself. If you don't mind me copying!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteGreat pics. Am planning to visit Japan next week and doing an afternoon trip at Kawagoe. Would you be able to provide details on reserving workshop slots at Blue Moon Studio and its location? Do they accommodate non-Japanese speaking guests? (their website is mostly in Japanese)... thanks!
I'm afraid my husband booked it all and it didn't appear that any of the staff spoke English - or they might have been happy to let my husband do all the translating!
Delete