Kurokabe Square

**Glass workshop experience:** Multiple studios offer hands-on glass crafting — glass bead making (¥1,500/30 min), blown glass cups (¥2,500/45 min), sandblasted decoration (¥1,800/40 min). The bead-making is easiest for beginners: heat glass rods with torch, wrap molten glass around metal rod, roll into shape. Finished items ship to your address 2–3 weeks later (or hotel if staying in Japan). Reserve online before arrival — walk-in availability is limited weekends. **Kurokabe Museum vs studios:** The Kurokabe Glass Museum (¥300 entry) displays European and Japanese antique glass — Art Nouveau vases, Tiffany lamps, Edo-period kiriko cut glass. The collection is small but high-quality. More engaging are the working studios where you can watch craftspeople create contemporary pieces — Studio Kurokabe (no entry fee, watch from gallery) has skilled artisans demonstrating glass-blowing daily 10:00–16:00. Watching a master turn molten blob into delicate form in 5 minutes is mesmerizing. **District food:** Nagahama's specialty is Nagahama ramen (長浜ラーメン) — tonkotsu (pork bone) broth with thin noodles. The style originated from ramen shops near Nagahama's former fish market where workers needed quick meals. Try Chikara Mochi (力餅, near station, ¥800) — not Kurokabe Square proper but 8-min walk. In Kurokabe itself, cafes serve Lake Biwa specialties — funa-zushi (fermented carp), ayu (sweetfish) tempura, and Omi beef croquettes.