Ryukyu Glass Village

Ryuku Glass village is tucked away from the hustle & bustle of the city, without being too far away a drive. The compound has a simplistic yet tranquil environment about it. We had a lost of respect & enjoyed watching the professionals make glass in the open compound, showcasing their years of apprenticeship and training. Within the indoor (air-conditioned) area of the village, there were a lot of glass souvenir options to choose from. The glasses there were all handmade and each had their distinct differentiable feature even though they were of supposedly the same design. No two glasses were made exactly the same, which we enjoyed. Despite being a glass village, it is an extremely family friendly place. There were glass making and painting class options that we did not opt for but seemed popular based on the number of people we saw waiting for the class to start. Upon purchasing your glass pieces, the staff were extremely efficient and professional about packing it, wrapping them carefully and placing them in boxes, ready for gifting to your friends and family back home. They even have a cafe serving good coffee and blue seal ice cream if you need a break from all your shopping! The glass making culture in Okinawa has deep history, we really enjoyed the glass village and would recommend anyone to drop by if you are visiting Okinawa. (Estimated visiting time without glass workshops would be 1-1.5 hours!)

This place is located in a peaceful location where you can purchase Ryukyu glassware and also experience making your own special Ryukyu glass as well. When making your own glass, there are total of five different colors and few additional options to choose from. (Heart shaped cup, add bubbles, etc) If you live in Japan, they will ship your glass, so you don’t have to carry it home. Just don’t forget to include your name on the shipping label. The souvenir shop has a nice selections of different types of glassware items to purchase. Even their bathroom was really neat! Really enjoyed my time here and recommend others to go!

Interesting place to go see the Okinawa based glassware which are both distinct and beautiful. They have an open section where you can see glass being made which is super interesting. Also a main shop where you can buy all types of art and kitchenware, however the prices are not cheap. Inside that shop is an ice cream shop selling Blue Seal (only sold in Okinawa) which was worth it - they have seating inside and some benches outside. Right at the back there is an outlet shop selling imperfect glass ware at 20-50% reductions. Note though that some of the pieces being sold there were actually made in Vietnam which seems bizarrely counter intuitive to the whole village. Worth going to but bring your money!

I wouldn’t call this an attraction worthy of a solitary trip to the south end of the island, but if you’re in the area, it’s a fun add-on visit. They offer a glass blowing experience (paid), but you can also stand and just observe the work at no cost. The compound is beautiful, and the store is filled with absolutely gorgeous blown glass pieces. Just don’t drive a long way if that’s all you’re planning to see.

A place for experiencing Ryukyu Glass Arts, there have workshops, cafes, souvenir shops, the place is spacious and beautiful!