Hakone Crafthouse - Glass Blowing

This is part two in my series about Hakone Gora Park. Check out my post about the park overall. I’ll also be releasing one more post about the park.

This time, let’s talk about glass blowing! One of the best parts of Hakone Gora Park is the Hakone Crafthouse. I can (and did) spend the whole day here. Crafthouse offers several different types of craft options including glass blowing, glass bead/jewelry making, pottery, glass etching, and glass engraving. For today’s post, we’ll focus on the glass blowing.

First, you sign in at the front desk and choose what type of item you’d like to craft. They have different shapes and sizes of cups, mugs, vases, etc that you can choose from. Then, you pick your glass accent colors and what type of design you’d like to make. I chose turquoise and light green accent colors. I also selected an option for glow in the dark speckles.

Then, you’ll enter the crafting area. One wall of the crafting area is all open patio doors, so it really lets in the mountain vibes. You’ll sit down at a workbench as the worker preps the ball of molten glass on a long metal pole. He’ll also lay out the pieces for the accent color option you selected. You start by shaping the glass blob, and beginning to blow the blob up with a little bit of air. The staff then roll your glass through the accent color pieces and heat it again for you.

Then, you’ll alternate back and forth between shaping the piece, heating the piece, and adding more glass. The staff helps you and instructs you how to create the perfect shape the entire time (English is also available). You’ll use many different tools, such as a wet wooden paddle, newspaper, and small wood piece. Eventually, you start to see the piece take shape. At the end, they’ll make sure to even out any mistakes so that your piece looks nice.

I absolutely loved the whole process. It was peaceful but also creative, working with hot glass in the cool mountain scenery. It was also exciting to try something new. In the end, when your piece is all finished, they’ll even mail your craft back to your home, halfway around the world. When I returned home from Japan, my creation actually beat me home and was waiting for me in the locked mailbox. And I love how the cup turned out!

I definitely recommend doing this activity. It is a great way to spend the day. If you like this post, stay tuned for my last post in this Hakone Gora Park series, coming soon. We’ll be talking about bead/jewelry making with lampwork.

Hakone Gora Park - More Than a Park

About an hour and a half from Tokyo, you’ll find Hakone and Gora. These two mountain towns are a must see for those who love the Japanese hot springs (also called onsen). Between the breathtaking mountain views and the relaxing hot waters, this area will make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. From many parts of town, you can even see Mount Fuji.

One of my favorite places in this area is a lovely park called Hakone Gora Park. It is right off of the Hakone Tozan Cable Car line, a block from the Koen Shimo Station.

This is so much more than just a park. This is an all day experience. Seriously. I suggest you plan to spend the whole day here. It costs 500 yen to enter, or about $5 USD. That is definitely worth the price! In this park, besides the park itself, there are botanical gardens, a tea ceremony house, a craft park with multiple types of craft workshops you can try, 3 restaurants, and even a gift shop. The entire park is a registered national monument due to its value.

The botanical garden consists of several indoor greenhouses with unique environments in each. It is beautifully decorated with flowers in every building. You will even find fountains throughout the botanical garden, which adds to the relaxing sounds around you.

Next is the park itself. This park has something to see during all parts of the year. There are flowers during the warmer months, cherry blossom trees in the spring, fall leaves, winter snowy views, and even a holiday display!

There are 3 food options: 2 cafes and 1 sweets shop. We tried some delicious rose ice cream during the spring at the sweets shop and dined at one cafe in the afternoon. The food was delicious at both places we tried. We even ate our ice cream by the fountain.

We did not get to experience the tea house. We ran out of time spending most of our day crafting. It looked very nice, though.

Now, the crafts. You can choose from several craft workshops and try your hand at making something new. Each craft workshop has a fee, but you get to take home what you make. We did glass blowing and glass bead making/jewelry making, which I will write about in an upcoming post. They also had pottery, glass etching, and floral arrangements when we were there. The crafts really make this place special. You can make your own souvenir and remember the experience every time you use the item. If you rather buy something pre-made, you can also check out the amazing work of their local artists in the gift shop.

Definitely check out my upcoming blog posts for more on glass blowing and glass bead making in the park. And put Hakone Gora Park on your list to check out, next time you visit Japan.