COREDO To commemorate the 5th anniversary of its opening, "COREDO Muromachi Terrace 5th Anniversary" will be held on September 13 (Fri) ~ October 6 (Sun)!
Eslite Seikatsu Nihonbashi will be open 24 hours a day from 9/28 (Sat) ~ 9/29 (Sun)!
In addition! As a special project for the 5th anniversary of COREDO Muromachi Terrace, the official YouTube channel of YURINDO, which operates Eslite Seikatsu Nihonbashi, "The World Only YURINDO Knows" will hold a YouTube live! Please take a look.

Learn more

Artist: Reo Sasaki
Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1990.
In 2014, completed the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.
In 2014, he was selected for the Stanislav Libenský Award in Prague, Czech Republic, and held a solo exhibition "From My Childhood" at the Hirosaki City Hyakusekimachi Exhibition Hall.
In 2019, he performed "The Spirit of Snow and the Song of Flowers" at the Yanbaru Art Festival 2019-2020 at Yamahara Golden Forest.
In 2020, he was a lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Arts and had a solo exhibition "from Riga food market."
In 2022, the work "Falling Like Snow/From Memories of 2006" will be exhibited at the Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum and Hirosaki Exchange #05.
In 2023, he will exhibit at the Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA as part of the Slow Culture #kogei project.

Reo Sasaki was born in Kuroishi, Aomori Prefecture in 1990. Having spent much of his childhood surrounded by nature, his favorite subjects were biology and geography.

He felt that it was important to link what he had learned through his own experience, and he was considering going to an agricultural university after graduating from high school.

What prompted him to decide to go to an art university was his participation as a volunteer staff member at the "NARA YOSHITOMO + graf A to Z" exhibition held in Hirosaki city by the contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo, who is from the same hometown.

Sasaki had been familiar with drawing and creating sculptures out of clay since he was an elementary school student, copying anatomical atlases, but he was so impressed by the spaces created by Nara and other world-class artists that he decided to pursue a career in art.

The prototypes for glass works are often made from paper.

Sasaki's glass works are mainly made using a technique called "kiln casting," which involves casting glass using an electric furnace.

"Rather than the beautiful artistic finish of glass, I like the texture of the plaster used for the mold remaining on the surface, trapping light."

Holes are made in the mold with skewers to allow air to escape when the glass is cast.

The plaster molds for casting glass can be made from a variety of materials, including wax, paper, clay, styrene board, and fruit. He tries to make molds from any material he finds most interesting.

"Recently, I've been making fewer mistakes, but I don't think that's a good thing. When I make mistakes, it's because I'm trying something new. Also, sometimes by correcting my mistakes, the work turns out to be more interesting than I had expected."

The prototype is made out of plaster, filled with colored glass material, and then fired in an electric furnace and poured into the pot.

"That's why I never throw away a failed work. Sometimes when I look at it again after a long time, I find that it was actually quite good."

"If glasswork is well preserved, it can last for 1,000 years. I think the fact that it lasts forever is one of the attractions of glass, and I have a kind of obsession with it."

This piece was created with an airplane motif, based on the theme of "boundaries." It combines various techniques, including making a mold using a real fish (a small horse mackerel).

Currently, apart from producing works in his own studio, Sasaki is also involved with Nihonbashi Glass Studio, where he held a Shops for children in August this year, using his own INGNI and decalcomania techniques.

Decalcomania is a painting technique in which paint is applied to paper and then folded in half. Sasaki learned the technique in junior high school and says he remembers it as being very interesting, as it freed him from the rules of art he had been taught at school.

"It seems that there are more and more children these days who are not good at art and crafts. Some children feel that they are not good at drawing, so I thought that decalcomania would be a good idea, as it creates mysterious patterns that seem both intentional and unintentional, and from there you can freely use your imagination."

Examples of decalcomania

"There is no such thing as good or bad drawing, but when you've been working in art for a long time, you inevitably start to seek out what is considered technically correct," says Sasaki, who says he gains a lot from interacting with children, for whom the concept of failure has no place in any picture they draw.

He also says that becoming a father this year has given him a higher level of insight into his other children and he feels like he's able to face them more honestly.

"I have a newborn baby at home now, and although I do have to be careful, I think it's when he gets hurt that he learns so many things, and I've been reminded of the importance of raising him as freely as possible. Also, my wife is looking after the child while I'm creating, so I can't make careless things in that situation. I've started to think more deeply about why I'm creating, and whether the theme is appropriate, as well as creating seriously."

Nihonbashi Glass Studio offers a variety of activities, including glassblowing, where you blow air into red-hot molten glass, and cutting glass, where you carve patterns into glass. Chopstick rest making, which can be easily done by multiple people, is also popular, and it seems that the number of overseas customers has been increasing recently.

"In Japan, when you think of glass workshops, you often imagine them in tourist spots, but I think it's really rare to find one inside a commercial facility like this. It's worth the visit just to see the situation where glass is melting at 1,300 degrees on the second floor of a modern skyscraper, and the air conditioning and disaster prevention equipment," says Sasaki.

The workshop has a furnace in the center where glass is melted at high temperatures, and glories (tempering furnaces) on either side for tempering the glass during shaping.

Glass art techniques will be taught by artisans from the Tokyo Glass Art Institute, so even beginners needn't worry.

"Glass is difficult to handle as a hobby, both technically and from a technique standpoint, so being able to learn from a teacher in a place like this is a valuable experience. I would definitely recommend that office workers who work nearby come and try it out at least once."

Finally, we asked Mr. Sasaki about what he thinks is the appeal of glass craft.

"Glass is fascinating. The radiant heat that the candy-like glass gives off, and the hot glass with a slight reddish hue are really beautiful, and I think that touching a material in that state is something that you rarely experience in your life. When you receive a glass piece you have made, it will feel incredibly quiet and cold, and that will be a memory that will last a lifetime. As long as glass does not break, it can be used for a lifetime."

The blown glass you create will be delivered in approximately two weeks.

Sasaki is keen to make Nihonbashi Glass Studio a more open place so that more people can learn about the appeal of glass craft.

"I hope that by me working here, people will become at least a little interested in glass. At Nihonbashi Glass Studio, you can experience glassblowing, but as a glass artist, I also want people to know that there are other techniques as well. I would be happy if this becomes a place that people can visit more casually."

Even on days when there are no glass craft Shops, you might catch Sasaki-san at work if you just drop by. Why not feel free to stop by and take a look at Nihonbashi Glass Studio?

Book your Shops here

On Saturday, September 28th, Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi will be open 24 hours a day!
Plus, YURINDO will be live streaming on YouTube 24 hours a day!

In 1995, Eslite Bookstore attracted attention as the world's first 24-hour bookstore. From 2024, Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store will take over the 24-hour operation.

Here at Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi, we have decided to open 24 hours a day for one day only on Saturday, September 28th! During the opening hours, there will be a ton of events where you can encounter various cultures.

In addition, as a special project for the 5th anniversary of COREDO Muromachi Terrace, the official YouTube channel of YURINDO, which operates Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi, will be hosting a YouTube Live broadcast called "A World Only YURINDO Knows"! Please take a look.

Click here to watch the live YouTube broadcast

Click here for details on Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi 24-hour operation