GARASU NO SATO THE GLASS VILLAGE

Hi Everyone!
Today I have photos of the Grarsu No Sato "The Glass Village". A beautiful walkway from the Toho factory leads into The Glass Village. It is an amazing display of glass sculpture, glass art, and... things you would not see any place else. Located around all the glass are the Toho Memorial hall, where there is every bead Toho has ever made. The display of beads is a seed beaders delight. There is bead work that boggles the mind as well. The Bead Museum is a collection of beadwork from around the world. I was impressed with the different types of African and Native American work they had gathered. I have been to a lot of bead museums, this is one of the best. The Glass museum was breath taking. Some pieces collect from 600 AD. The glass collection BC is some of the most sophisticated old glass I have ever seen. The Stain Glass Pavilion was another incredible display. There is one building to watch a young man blowing glass. Also in the same building there was a young couple with their baby getting her feet set in a sand cast mold. Later they came out with a beautiful piece of glass of their daughter's feet. Kind of like our Bronzing of baby's first shoes. Oh, and let us not forget the fun house. Charmain and I were laughing so hard we were crying. Another way to show how fun loving the Japanese people are. There is a retail store as well where you can purchase anything glass and a small bead store. While we were there we had a cooking lesson in the restaurant and made our own lunch. It is called Japanese Pizza. All of us are going to make it here at home.
Here is just a bit of the inside of The Glass Village.
More photos later today.

Ann, Charmain, me, and Ayako

Be sure to click on the photos to see them better.

This is all glass, except for the hose of course.

There are motes around most of the sculptures.

This is the Glass Castle

Now, long before Toho contests and even the idea of going to Japan, I knew about and had seen photos of the Glass Clock. The is a working clock that all the flowers, each petal, leaf, and stem is made of glass. As I walked up to it I thought we were in the wrong place. All of us thought the flowers were real. It is stunning!!!!

Bead with Honor and Integrity

Nicole/Beadwright