In summer, I reach for a Tsugaru Vidro glass bowl to serve salad.
I first came across Tsugaru Vidro a few years ago, in a shop in Tokyo. A glass cup held flecks of red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. Its jewel-like sparkle drew me in, and I found myself picking it up. That was how I learned Tsugaru Vidro existed.
Later, on a trip to Aomori Prefecture, I visited the maker’s own shop and chose glass bowls, along with a sake decanter and small sake cups.
The combination of colors can completely change the impression a piece makes. Blue, pale blue, and white together have the coolness of summer sky and sea blending into one another. Pink and white bring to mind cherry blossoms scattering as spring arrives. Green and yellow-green have the freshness of new leaves. Red and orange suggest autumn foliage or a sunset, with something fleeting about them.
The character of a piece changes with its colors, and my mood changes along with it. Bright colors make me feel excited; calmer tones put me at ease. When I hold the glass to the light, it sparkles, and I’m drawn to another side of it.
In summer, I bring these glass bowls to the table. Their cool appearance seems to announce the season. I reach for them when I want the table to feel lively and festive, or when I want a hint of coolness on a hot day.
The flecks of colored glass give me a thrill every time I see them.
At night, I sip chilled sake slowly, using the decanter and small sake cups.
Using these pieces is what taught me that the colored glass does more than look good. Different combinations leave me feeling energized, calmer, or a little nostalgic. Before I quite noticed it happening, I’d started looking inside the glass for colors that suited the mood I wanted that day.
Tsugaru Vidro comes from Hokuyo Glass, a company based in Aomori City, in Aomori Prefecture, Japan.
Hokuyo Glass started out in 1949 making glass floats for the fishing industry. Tsugaru Vidro grew out of that work, combining free-blowing skills honed through making those floats with the company’s own colored-glass formulas. Over the years, the company has continued developing its colors, drawing on Aomori’s seasons—cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, snow—and on local motifs, from the colorful lantern floats of the Nebuta festival to the apples Aomori is known for.
One of the techniques used at Hokuyo Glass involves layering flecks of colored glass to give a piece its character. Blue, green, white, red, yellow, orange—the colors appear scattered through the glass. Tsugaru Vidro is designated by Aomori Prefecture as a traditional craft.
Choosing a colorful piece, I’ve realized, isn’t only about which one looks nicest. It’s also a way of choosing the mood I want at the table that day.
I think about how I’m feeling, or how I’d like to feel, and let the table reflect it. Doing that draws my mood further in that direction. It gives me the energy to feel that today will be a good day.
Next time you’re choosing which of your own dishes to use, you might simply notice which color catches your eye, as well as what you need the dish for. That’s enough.
For me, using these bowls in summer still gives me the greatest thrill.