The company was founded in 1900 when Hisakichi Asahara I opened a glass manufacturing factory in Tomioka-cho, Otaru City, and began manufacturing lamps, projectile bottles, and other glassware for daily use. Later, he invented floating balls for fishing and contributed to the herring and North Sea fisheries. Later, the factory was scaled down due to the rise of plastic floating balls and the poor health of the third generation at that time. However, upon the passing of the third generation, the eldest son, Zaiichiro, decided to take over the family business and became the fourth generation. He continues to manufacture glass in order to leave behind the technique of manufacturing floating glass balls in Otaru for future generations.

Floating glass beads for fishing played a role in the prosperity of the North Sea fishing industry in the early Showa period. In fact, it is impossible to talk about the development of Otaru's industry and the establishment of the air-blown glass technique in Otaru without these "floating beads.

During the Meiji and Taisho periods, floating balls were used to mark nets for herring fishing. Hisakichi Asahara gathered his relatives, taught them the technique of glass making, and expanded Asahara Glass factories throughout Hokkaido. (Otaru, Muroran, Kushiro, Asahikawa, and Sakhalin) It is said that 1,056 tons of floating glass beads were produced in 1947, but it can be assumed that the actual amount was much higher.

As the North Sea fishing industry shrank and the herring fishery declined, the demand for floating balls dropped sharply and was replaced by plastic balls (orange buoys). The number of factories manufacturing floating balls throughout Japan declined, and today Asahara Glass Manufacturing is the only factory in Japan that manufactures them.

Asahara Glass is the originator of Otaru Glass. The raw material is recycled raw material (cullet), which is sorted for color and material, cleaned, and put into a melting furnace at about 1,300°C to produce a color that blends into the transparent sea. The "navel," which is attached to the glass to block the blowhole, is cute, and this part is sometimes picked up as a valuable item during beachcombing (i.e., picking up sea glass and other items on the beach). If you pick it up, see if there is any writing on the underside of the navel.

In addition to selling glass floats and floating candles, Asahara Glass Mfg. also offers a glass blowing experience where visitors can actually experience the making of glass crafts, a traditional industry in Otaru.