Let's Make Something

There are many handcrafting arts in Japan. We are lucky enough to have the chance to make "Windbells" while in Japan. A guide meets us at the hotel the next morning to take us to the Furin factory. It is a good thing we have the guide to take us because the factory was actually a family run business in a little house and it took several trains and a lengthy walk through a residential neighborhood to get there.




It is worth the journey when we enter this little building and see the beautiful blown glass wind bells. We are taken to another building in the back where we are shown how the melted glass is blown through a long straw. We get to try it ourselves and I make the mistake of going first. I blew way to hard and quickly, the ball of melted glass lights on fire and hits the ground. I let Miles make mine and he does a great job blowing with just the right amount of pressure.



Everyone takes a couple tries and eventually creates a glass ball. The man breaks them off and pokes a hole in the top for hanging them and puts them on a tray of black sand to cool.




Our guide makes one too.

Once they are cool we can paint designs on the inside of the glass ball.


Next the ladies in the house add string and glass beads and a glass tube that hangs inside the ball to ring the bell. Everyone's wind bells came out beautiful


These are some professionally done samples.