At One&Co, 10 award-winning works are on display in collaboration with Omotenashi Selection. These winning entries are chosen by foreigners living in Japan who have been asked to vote for them based on their opinion of what constitutes an excellent traditional Japanese product.
Even with current travel restrictions, you are still able to experience the history, culture, technology, and beauty of Japan while in Singapore simply by coming to One&Co.
In this series, we would like to introduce the function and design of the products, and background of the Japanese traditional artists.
This time, we introduce Hokuyo-Glass (Ishizuka Glass Group Company) who creates “Tsugaru Vidro NEBUTA”, colourful glass containers.
— First of all, could you tell us about your business?
As a designated factory for “Tsugaru Vidro,” a traditional craft of Aomori Prefecture, we plan, produce and sell glass tableware and interior goods.
— What kind of product did you receive the award for?
The Tsugaru Vidro NEBUTA is a product that expresses the gorgeous and expressive colors of the Aomori Nebuta Festival, one of the three major festivals of summer in Aomori Prefecture and one of the major festivals of the Tohoku region. In order to make Japanese summer and food culture more accessible to people, all the items are for daily usage. The products include bowls for cold noodles and chilled tofu, which are typical to eat in Japan’s hot summer, and sake cups for chilled sake. The products offer the atmosphere of the festival’s distinct Nebuta lights that decorate the streets of the city, as well as the lively atmosphere unique to the Aomori Nebuta Festival.
— How do you feel about the products?
The “Nebuta Series” that existed before the 40-year-old Tsugaru Vidro had an artisanal, opaque, dark texture. Since we wanted to introduce the Nebuta – a special lantern used in the Aomori festival – to more people, we reviewed the color scheme and created a wide range of products with vivid and colorful designs to create the current Tsugaru Vidro NEBUTA, which makes use of clear glass. The series has become our flagship product which we use as summer displays for dining tables.
―What kind of difficulties did you have before commercializing it?
In the declining Japanese economy of the 2000s, it was difficult for Tsugaru Vidro, even with its long history in Japan, to get people interested in its products. We had to think beyond marketing ourselves as a household brand name in order to ensure our survival in the crafts and souvenirs industry. In order to reinvent ourselves into a distinctive brand, we did a rebranding exercise in 2014, and The Tsugaru Vidro NEBUTA was born. The approach here is to focus on the four seasons, the personal touch of handmade products, and the story of Aomori.
―What are the “issues” and “potentials” beyond this current situation?
We have continued to make products that people love, and through these product we have introduced the uniqueness of Aomori to others. This has helped to define the essence of our brand now. In the future, we would like to present our brand as a product that shares the Aomori name so as to address and resolve social issues through cooperation with local companies and the government.
―Please give us your goal for the future.
Covid-19 has made the world more chaotic and created serious damage to Japan’s economy. We want to use the bright colors of “Tsugaru Vidro” to cheer and support the people of Aomori and the Tohoku region. We will keep working hard to create products with our story.
Yomonori Kabeya
President and CEO, Hokuyo-Glass Corporation
Born in Aichi in 1968.
In 1990, joined Ishizuka Glass Group Company, which established 200 years ago.
After working in Tokyo, in 2016, he became a Director of Product Development of “Houseware Company”, Food Service Division in the same company. In 2018, he became President and CEO of Hokuyo Glass Corporation.
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