You may have seen Ryukyu Glass on the shelf at shops. The colorful glassware is popular among tourists and locals as souvenirs or eating or drinking utensils.

Ryukyu Glass making is a popular activity in Okinawa, and many studios give beginners the opportunity to try their hand at making a unique piece to take home.

Many tourists head to Ryukyu Glass Village in Itoman, near the main island’s southern end, to see craftsmen in action and take glass blowing workshops. Before my recent visit, I booked a reservation online at Workshop Think Think, the village studio, to give it a try. Classes there are 4,400 yen per person (about $28).

Driving on Route 331 past the Peace Memorial Park and Himeyuri Monument, the colorful buildings of the village are hard to miss. Its pop-colored walls and roof in the shape of a huge loaf of bread give it the feel of a theme park. In a sense, “theme park” is not an exaggeration because this location offers multiple attractions dedicated to Ryukyu Glass. Starting with a souvenir shop and a gallery, it even has a “laboratory” for kids to learn about the craft and a garden where Ryukyu Glass art is displayed.

On the day of the workshop, I let my boss know that I would try blowing glassware for a story. In response, he said “Don’t suck in.” When I gingerly opened the door of the single-story building that sits in the deepest part of the village, I was feeling jittery and his words came back to my mind.

I was expecting the studio to be rugged, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the interior had a sleek industrial design. On the way to the reception desk, workshop participants can select from the paper slips depicting the products and colors for their project.

With slips for a blue glass cup in my hands, I signed in at the reception desk and joined other visitors in the waiting room to put on an apron and arm covers. After watching an introductory video, we were allowed to enter a studio, one person at a time.

I was hoping to see how others do first and avoid embarrassing myself by copying them. But I turned out to be the first one to go, which made me even more anxious.

Lucky for me, all I needed to do was watch the craftsman do the difficult parts before handing me the blowpipe with the molten glass. He went back and forth between a furnace and a table where colorants were placed to heat and color the glass. At this point, the soft glass was a shiny orange, far from the blue color I was expecting.

When the pipe was finally brought to me, I was ready to blow it hard. But another craftsman stepped in and warned me not to. According to him, the heated glass is very soft, so it would only take a gentle blowing. I held the blowpipe downward into the mold and the action felt a bit like playing an unusually long clarinet. I blew slowly through the pipe with a paper mouthpiece attached for about 10 seconds to reach the full size of the cup I was making.

For the next step, I was guided to a seat so I could help shape the mouth of the cup. Along the long metal bars on either side of my chair, the blow pipe was laid across. With what looked like a big tong in my right hand, I began shaping the mouth of the cup by rolling the pipe with my left hand while sticking the tip of the tongs into the glass, letting the tool slightly touch the glass’s mouth.

I did my best to not move my right hand in order to shape the mouth consistently and smoothly. Although I had no idea whether I was doing it right or not, a craftsman congratulated me after several minutes by saying, “you did great.”

His words sounded encouraging. Looking at the dull green color of my glass, however, I was not so sure how it would come out as a finished product. Leaving the rest of the work to the pros, I left the studio.

A couple of days later, the finished product was delivered to me. I was surprised to find the glass donning splashes of vibrant blue and aqua. There were imperfections like small bubbles and a somewhat deformed profile, but the glass was convincing enough for me to pour a beer in and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Things to know

• Location: WORKSHOP Think Think (inside the village 26.098152, 127.676487)

• Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

• Costs: Glass Blowing Experience costs 4,400 yen per person. The finished product can be picked up or mailed several days later.

• Website

According to the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, Ryukyu Glass was first introduced to Okinawa around 1900 by artisans from the Southwest part of Kagoshima. Glass artists from Osaka and Nagasaki followed helping to spread the skills in the prefecture.

Even in the early years, “glassblowing” skills were already practiced making bottles and jars for medicine and sweets. Many studios opened in Naha City and the glassware production started to advance.

Ryukyu Glass’s history took an unexpected turn when the Battle of Okinawa broke out in 1945, causing significant damage to studios.

After the war, surviving craftsmen made efforts to bring the production back to business, although materials were scarce.

Around that time, there was a growing demand for eating utensils to be used by U.S. service members and their families in Okinawa. To meet the demand and overcome the shortage of materials, craftsmen turned to recycling empty beer and soda bottles to create forks, spoons and more. As a result, the glassware had bubbles or various colors, adding to the appeal of the craft.

Although the glassblowing workshop lasted for less than 30 minutes in total, I found myself tired and hungry when it was over. Lucky for me, right next to the workshop was Do~me Gohan Café.

As I opened the door and took a step inside, a collection of Yachimun pottery and Shisa lion-dogs welcomed me. The traditional crafts and classy interior created a relaxed casual atmosphere I was in the mood for.

For lunch, their menu items include soba noodles, hamburgers and Gurukun (double-lined fusilier fish) sauteed with butter and soy sauce.

I went with the aburi sanmainiku soba, noodles with roasted pork belly, for 1,080 yen (about $6.80) and coupled it with shikuwasa citrus soda for 600 yen.

The soba noodles were on the thin side, but I liked their chewiness. The broth was based on bonito flakes, which worked perfectly for me. The pork belly tasted good as well, but the amount was a little shy from satisfying. If I had known better, I would have added some noodles by paying the 100-yen extra fee.

The shikuwasa soda was a refreshing companion to the savory noodles.

Things to know:

• Location: Next door from WORKSHOP Think Think

• Hours: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. *Closed on Wed.

Okinawan

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