Ichinoseki's Sahara Glass Park: Lovely and a Bit Creepy in Winter

    The Sahara Glass Park is not a place I had intended to go, and was in fact not even a place I had ever heard of before my family and I found ourselves stumbling through the gorgeous glass art of the entryway.

    When we stopped by Geibikei Gorge in Iwate at the beginning of December 2019, we had wandered through a cute little park, trying not to stumble on the icy rocks, and were disappointed to find that the dango shop that is known for sending its wares across the gorge in a basket on a rope had stopped this practice for winter. My husband had brought me out to this area just to see that and was ready to drag us back to the car when I asked if we could check out something I saw when we drove across the bridge to the closest parking lot to the park.

    Sahara Glass Park sports a large archway the likes of which I am used to seeing only in areas with a vibrant alcohol-infused nightlife, but the name I could read on it didn't sound like a big drinking area, meaning it was either not a drinking area at all or a very creatively named one. Either way, in the middle of the day in the middle of a week in December, it would probably be the safest time to find out.

    To the left of the entrance is an awning covered walkway which holds display case after display case filled with gorgeous glass treasures usually accompanied by small placards explaining at least the name of the artist and piece. Many were jugs, vases and other similar vessels artistically rendered in fantastic color and with great skill.
    

    At end of the walk we found two pieces that took my breath away-- replicas of famous painting done up expertly in blown glass including Van Gogh's Starry Night.

    Further in we found a park that had probably seen better days if the crowd size of practically zero is anything to judge by. A few of the pieces that were set into outdoor displays in the park were chipped or broken, but the huge garden clock was still a gorgeous sight, even with its hands removed, likely to avoid upcoming damage from later winter snows.

    The presence of so many little quiet spaces in a place that seemed designed for more supported the feeling of a special, slightly haunted treasure. Small wooden shop-like buildings stood locked up and vacant to the sides of the clock but their appearance reminded me at once of shop stalls from renaissance festivals back home and I got the impression that summer might be a time when this place livens up a little. I wouldn't be surprised of the school children of Ichinoseki find themselves here on field trips or excursions at some point.

    According to the website, tourists can call to set up the opportunity to blow their own glass in the workshop here, located near the restaurant and gift shop, both of which were open during our visit. Since we hadn't actually planned to stay long and had already spent a few minutes taking dozens of photos, we only had time to visit the gift shop but even that was well worth the little detour. Not only did they have wonders of hand-blown glass for sale but many of their items were on sale and for cheap enough that I didn't feel bad or break the bank picking up a few extra presents for family and friends back home.

    The Sahara Glass Park can be found at this address:
Takinoue-263-1 Genbicho, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0101    
    According to the website, they appear to be open daily from 9AM to 6PM save for their New Years Holidays which start on December 27th. If you're into quiet creepy places with lots of details and the opportunity to shop, this might be a good place to stop by.