One of the biggest issues I had in the past was finding the right Porcelain shops for the right customer. It is extremely different to know what type of ceramics someone might have a tendency to be impressed by, therefore it was necessary to frequent many different shops to sample the pottery style of the area in general and the artisian in particular. As you can probably guess, this takes up a lot of precious time traveling from place to place and obviously very hit and miss. This is a problem that I don't have to worry about anymore!
These days I head straight to the Arita Sera shops and just let the clients roam at their hearts content. There are over 20 ceramic speciality shops, so there is a lot to see and appreciate. You can window shop, enter as many places as you like to get up and personal with the products (touch and feeling is just as important as how visually appealing the products are) and if you wish a private talk with one of the shop owners can be arranged.
The shops are open 365 days a year and it can be a very popular place on weekends. Our weekday tour don't encounter this problem, you will have all the space and time needed to fully satisfy your ceramic wants and needs.
Please check below to see the Arita Sera Porcelain shops on a map:
Please click on the photos below to see more information about the Arita Sera Porcelain shops.
It's well signposted
Even the map is made of Porcelain
Plenty of room to roam
John Lennon anyone?
There is a lot of good ceramics.
Sale items are available too!
Fancy plates
It's all about the color!
There is some great stuff here
Plenty to see and do
Please look at these videos below to learn more about what the Arita Sera Porcelain shops have to offer ceramic lovers:
On this day, my wife was busy but my kids weren't so we headed out from our base in Fukuoka to go to the Karato Market for some breakfast. Karato Market is well known as the mecca for blowfish otherwise as Fugu in Japanese which is the most poisonous fish in the world. If not prepared properly by a licensed chef, death will come fast and furious. Luckily for you and me the last registered death as the result of eating this delicacy was way back in 1975. It's a rigorous process to become a fugu chef, so in my mind the risk is minuscule and the reward in terms of taste and flavor are indeed amazing.
From Fukuoka, its about a 1 hour drive and you will be able to drive across the Kanmon Strait Bridge crossing from Kyushu into the main island of Honshu. It's very special to see how close the the 2 islands are and the fact that there have been many wars over the last 500 years by clans striving to increase their territorial gains in the region.
Upon arriving ,you can see how popular the area really is by checking out the number plates of the cars in the carpark. Some cars have just come from around the corner for a quick bite to eat whilst many are from various reaches from all over Japan. I always like to arrive quite early in the morning for my seafood bowl consisting of rice and various types of sashimi, then a dollop of wasabi and a topping of seaweed is a meal made in heaven that even non seafood lovers could enjoy. Because of the numbers it took us a while to be seated but it wasn't too long, in fact the 20 minutes of waiting gave us some time to go for a stroll and do some sightseeing in the area.
This 20 minute stroll created a huge appetite and when our meals arrived we finished then in no time flat. I must say it was not only absolutely delicious but such a reasonably priced meal. Once finished, we did some more sightseeing on the upper deck of the market and on the floor getting a real close up of the fish available for purchase.
This location has become a popular stop on our day tours out of Fukuoka.
I am sure you and your private party will not be disappointed.
Please look below to see the Karato Markets on a map:
Please click on the photos below to enlarge:
Maritime symbols
Maguro on the rice
The main market below
Nice place to take in the views
This is Fugu
Sashimi and tempura meal
Blowfish up close
Looking very cute
Lots of information to digest
Well marketed product
The fish market in action
Checking out the Kanmon Strait Bridge
Uni (sea urchin) meal
The entrance
A real anchor to touch
A throwback photo of a previous visit
Please click on the video below to see more about the Karato Market in Shimonoseki City:
Please click on the video below to see the sights around the Kanmon Strait Bridge:
