Toyama Glassware & Traditional Crafts — Etchū Glass & Takaoka Casting

**Glass-blowing, 30 minutes of controlled chaos:** Glass Art Studio in Toyama runs workshops (¥3,500, 30 minutes) where you blow a drinking glass or bowl with 1,100°C molten glass on the end of a pipe. You blow and rotate; the artisan corrects before you ruin it. The piece cools overnight—pick it up next day or they'll ship it (¥1,000 domestic). Book a week ahead (website is Japanese; your hotel can call). You'll understand why glass costs what it does after you try it. **Takaoka Crafts Museum, free entry:** The museum (高岡伝統工芸館) shows 400 years of Takaoka metalwork—Buddhist altar fittings, tea kettles, modern sculptures, vases. Techniques on display: lost-wax casting, engraving, inlay, patina. The shop sells direct from artisans: vases ¥5,000-20,000, incense holders ¥3,000-8,000, bells ¥1,500-5,000. These are real prices for real craft, not tourist markup. English pamphlets available. **Kanayamachi street, working district:** 400 meters of lattice-windowed townhouses (格子窓, kōshi-mado) housing metalworking shops, 10 minutes' walk from Takaoka Station. Cobblestones, Edo-period facades, hammering echoing from studios. Some workshops let you watch casting if you're polite (no formal tours, just knock and ask). Photogenic, atmospheric, 30-45 minutes to walk and browse. **Takaoka Daibutsu, big Buddha:** While you're in Takaoka, see the Great Buddha (高岡大仏)—15.85 meters of bronze cast using local techniques in 1933. It's one of Japan's 'Three Great Buddhas' (with Nara and Kamakura) and proof that Takaoka metalwork scales to monumental size. Free, 10 minutes from the station. Combine with Zuiryuji Temple and Kanayamachi for a full day. **Buying craft, expect real prices:** Etchū glass and Takaoka copperware cost what skilled labor costs—¥3,000-10,000 for tableware, ¥10,000-50,000+ for art pieces. Buy direct from studios or museums to support artisans and avoid fakes. Both are fragile; ask for packaging if you're flying home.