Crafting Edo Kiriko Glass Experience in Asakusa
Last updated: August 26, 2026
Edo Kiriko has been cut into Tokyo glassware since the Edo period — lattices of precise, light-catching facets ground into coloured glass — and at the Sokichi workshop, a minute from Asakusa's Kaminarimon gate, you cut your own. Choose a glass from Glass Factory Sokichi's deep lineup, pick patterns from dozens of samples for the side and the base, and grind them in at the wheel with guidance tuned to your hand. The one-of-a-kind glass goes home with you the same day: a working souvenir that catches the light of every drink you pour into it.
Itinerary
- Stop at: Sokichi Kiriko Workshop
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Frequently Asked Questions
Tokyo's own cut-glass tradition, practised since the late Edo period: geometric patterns — hemp leaf, chrysanthemum, fish-scale — ground by hand into glass so the facets flash as the vessel turns. It is one of the capital's officially designated traditional crafts, and the workshop's lecture covers the story before the wheel starts spinning.
You select your glass from the factory's lineup, choose a design for the side and another for the base from dozens of samples, and carve both under the instructor's eye — then photograph your finished piece at the studio corner and carry it home the same day. No two come out alike, which is the charm.
No experience needed — the guidance is tailored to each person's pace, and the cutting wheel is more forgiving than it looks. Children from around nine years old can take part, making it one of Asakusa's better rainy-day family plans.
At 2-1-14 Kaminarimon, a minute or two from Asakusa's stations and practically in the shadow of the great Kaminarimon lantern — so the class slots neatly before or after Sensoji, Nakamise shopping street and the rest of an Asakusa wander.