Just a few minutes walk from HOTEL RESOL STAY AKIHABARA is an area called "Yushima." Yushima is home to old-fashioned downtown streets and shrines that date back to the Edo period, giving you a glimpse of the good old scenery.

Just past Shintsuma Koizaka in Yushima, you will come across a street that leads to the direct sales store of Kimura Glass. Kimura Glass is a manufacturer without a factory, and works in partnership with various factories to carefully deliver high-quality glass tableware.

From a glass general store to the world of tableware

Kimura Glass was founded in 1910. Originally it was a glass wholesaler that produced a wide range of products, from test tubes and beakers to glasses, urinals, and the glass parts of bicycle lamps.

The representative, Kimura Takeshi, says that it was after World War II that Kimura Glass began to focus on tableware such as cups and glasses.

"In the 1940s, my father and uncle split the business, and my uncle started selling scientific glass products, while my father started selling tableware. From then on, Kimura Glass focused on tableware."

After that, Kimura Glass's thin glassware began to be used in traditional Japanese restaurants and first-class eateries, and its reputation spread. There is even an anecdote that more than 80% of the bartenders at a certain bartender's competition used glasses from "Kimura Glass." Even now, Kimura Glass continues to enjoy strong support from a wide variety of eateries, including bars and restaurants.

Pursue what you think is good

Kimura is in charge of the design of many of the glasses at Kimura Glass. The most important thing for him when designing is "whether or not he is making something that he thinks is good."

"When I was young, I tried all sorts of things, making a lot of strange things, hoping to sell them well. But I realized that those things didn't sell at all. As I continued making things, I gradually came to understand that things that don't fit my own aesthetic sense don't sell. I can't really explain what my aesthetic sense is, but it's more like a feeling that just feels right."

The feeling that feels right to you. In pursuit of that feeling, when Kimura creates a new product, he always asks himself, "Do I really think this is good?" That's why he sometimes spends several years on a single glass.

When we hear the term "aesthetic sense," it sounds like a unique feeling that each individual has. However, Kimura believes that "the aesthetic sense that humans have doesn't change that much."

"For example, I like pop music and classical music, and they move me deeply when I listen to them. They are in different genres and the backgrounds to their creation are completely different, but they are both good music. In other words, good music has a heart-warming effect that transcends genres. I think that humans share this essential aesthetic sense. It's the same with glass design; when people see something truly good, they should feel something. That's the kind of thing I want to create."

"In the end, it's all about whether you feel it here or not," says Kimura, patting his chest and laughing. Will it sell? Will it be useful to someone? He sets aside such logical viewpoints for the moment and continues to explore his own senses more and more deeply. At the base of Kimura Glass's simple yet attractive glassware is the relaxed sensibility of Kimura, who creates them while sharpening his own senses.

The directly managed store is a place to properly convey the value of "Kimura Glass Shop"

Since its founding, Kimura Glass has focused on wholesale sales to restaurants and other businesses. Mr. Kimura says that the reason he opened a directly managed store for individuals was to "let people know about Kimura Glass."

"I think the reason why apparel brands hold fashion shows is to let many people know about the brand and its value. Kimura Glass's directly managed store is also like a 'fashion show'. So we didn't open the store to sell products, but to let everyone know about Kimura Glass."

Inside the store, a wide range of tableware, from long-stemmed glasses used in bars to cups that can be used at home, stand dignifiedly like models. Mizuki Isaoka, who is in charge of sales, says that Kimura Glass's products have a wide range that can meet the needs of customers.

"I feel that Kimura Glass's glasses are able to cater to a wide variety of people's needs. Some customers like delicate designs, while others prioritize safe use. When I make suggestions after listening to each customer's needs, they generally like them.

In a good way, the president of the company does not restrict the use of the product, which is why customers feel that there is room for them to use it however they like."

Our directly managed stores are places for communicating rather than selling, and have a wide-open, open atmosphere that you won't find in other stores.

Glass where the sensibility of the maker and the user meet

It has been about eight years since the directly managed store opened. Looking back, Kimura says, "People with similar sensibilities come to our directly managed store."

"Honestly, I think there are very few people who like the products of Kimura Glass. I feel like it's about one in 100 people. But the people who come here look very happy when they buy our glasses. I think the people who come to our shop have a similar taste."

"So you can use the glass you like however you want," Kimura concludes cheerfully. Kimura Glass's stance of making glass that is "good" for the user's sensibility, rather than for the usage or needs, seems to draw out the user's sensibility without them even realizing it.

Something that you don't really understand but think is "good." Kimura Glass delivers tableware that touches the hearts of its users.

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Kimura Glass Shop/Directly Managed Store
Address: 3-10-4 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034
HP: https://zizi.kimuraglass.jp/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/kimuraglass/?hl=ja
*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.