The first thing that struck me about the Glass Forest was its size. The Glass Forest has different segments catering to different styles of glass crafts. One segment was dedicated to mosaic art pieces made from small square glass pieces. Another segment featured miniature ornaments and another one had glass jewellery. All the crafts at the Glass Forest are handmade and a great addition to any home!
On the second floor, the Glass Forest organizes hands-on art and crafts workshops for children and adults alike. Visitors can try their hand at creating mosaic pieces by fixing small square glass pieces, or create their very own glass jewelery with their desired glass beads. These activities are particularly popular among children. For adults, they can try to blow their very own unique glass vase or cup!
The highlight of my visit to the Glass Forest was certainly getting to blow my very own glass vase at the workshop adjacent to the main merchandise area. Before going to the workshop, I was asked to choose the shape of the vase and my preferred colour. As the vase will take 2 days to cool and set, the factory will also ask for your address in order to send the vase to you. For this reason, it would be better to plan a visit to the Glass Forest at the start of your trip so that the Glass Forest can send your completed glass piece to your hotel.
In the workshop, the skilled glass blower would guide you along the process of blowing your very own vase. After some safety instructions, you will be handed the long metal pipe where you would blow into. Watch the little ball of semi-melted glass enlarge to your desired shape! The warmth of the fire in the workshop can also be really comforting in the chilly Hokkaido weather.
After my glass-blowing workshop, I left the glass Forest with a beautiful shiny glass pendant in the shape of a snowflake to remember my travels in snowy Hokkaido. Two days later, I also received the glass vase that I made myself. It was not as beautiful as the products on display in the Glass Forest, but undoubtedly my very own creation and it made me feel very accomplished.
The Glass Forest is best accessed by car or taxi. I’m so glad that the manager at Natulux Furano, the hotel I was staying in Furano, recommended me to go to Glass Forest Furano. It’s not everyday you get to blow your own glass vase, after all!
