Glasses for Summer

The rainy season has come to an end.

After the damp days of the rainy season, brighter skies, rising temperatures and vivid greenery make summer feel fully here.

Warmer weather brings more opportunities to enjoy a cold drink. Here we introduce Ryukyu glassware for the summer table.

Contents

1. What is Ryukyu glass?
2. Our featured Ryukyu glasses
3. Lobsto Glass Studio
4. Something refreshing to serve
5. The summer promotion

1. What is Ryukyu glass?

You may have heard the name Ryukyu glass, but what gives this Okinawan craft its distinctive character?

1. A little history

Glassmaking in Okinawa dates to the Meiji period. After the Second World War, shortages encouraged craftspeople to reuse discarded drink bottles, helping shape the colorful Ryukyu glass familiar today.

Postwar demand, skills preserved by local craftspeople and techniques brought from elsewhere in Japan all contributed to the growth of Okinawa's glass workshops.

2. How it is made

Here is a brief introduction to the process.

The traditional process using recycled glass can be described in five broad stages.

1. Sort discarded glass by color and clean it carefully.

2. Melt the sorted glass in a heat-resistant crucible at a temperature suited to the material.

3. Gather molten glass on a hollow blowpipe and begin to shape it.

4. Reheat as needed while refining the shape.

5. Cool the finished piece gradually in an annealing kiln.

In glassblowing, molten glass is gathered on the end of a hollow pipe. The maker blows air into the gather to expand it, shaping it while it remains workable.

In free blowing, the maker turns the pipe and uses gravity and tools to shape the glass. In mold blowing, the glass is expanded inside a prepared mold to establish its form.

Free-blown pieces tend to show more variation, but mold-blown glass also differs according to the maker's breath and timing. Both processes retain the small variations of handwork.

2. Our featured Ryukyu glasses

For this feature, we chose glasses from Lobsto.

Three details make these glasses particularly appealing.

1. Beautiful patterns of light

Lobsto's mold-blown glasses use carefully designed surfaces that cast attractive patterns of light and shadow across the table.

The patterns cast on the table reveal another side of the glass, giving you a small detail to enjoy.

2. A comfortable size

The feature includes two shapes: the Diamond Barrel Glass and Diamond Flared Glass. Both are relatively compact and comfortable to hold.

The flared form has a familiar, easy grip, while the rounded barrel shape gives the fingers a comfortable place to rest.

3. Five colors in this collection

Five colors were offered in this feature. Purple and Dark Green were developed at POTPURRI's request and were exclusive to our shop at the time. Each combination of shape and color has its own expression.

3. Lobsto Glass Studio

Lobsto Glass Studio is based in Uruma, Okinawa.

Tokyo-born Ryukyu glass artist Ikeda (池田章洋) encountered Okinawan glass while visiting in his twenties and was captivated. He moved to Okinawa in 1998, trained at two glass studios, and founded Lobsto Glass Studio in Uruma in 2004.

Made with the hope of becoming part of everyday life at the table, the pieces combine visual beauty with practical ease of use.

4. Something refreshing to serve

On hot summer days, a cool drink is especially welcome.

Alongside these glasses, we would like to introduce a drink to enjoy in them.

Mitsuura Jozo's Cold-Brew Float Lemon Tea pairs dried Setouchi lemon with Japanese black tea from Nara. The leaves infuse slowly in cold water for a clear, gentle flavor, and the floating slice of dried lemon adds a refreshing aroma.

Enjoy it for its clean taste and refreshing lemon aroma—a pleasant alternative when you would like a cold tea on a summer afternoon.

Try Cold-Brew Float Lemon Tea in a Lobsto glass for a refreshing summer tea break.

5. The summer promotion

This article originally accompanied a summer promotion offering free shipping on Lobsto glasses. That historical offer is separate from the shipping terms shown at checkout today.

A favorite glass can become a welcome addition to your everyday table.

Because a glass is something we use every day, finding one we enjoy can make an ordinary moment feel special. We hope you will enjoy Lobsto at your summer table.