Kurawankan Showroom: Hasami Town, Nagasaki Prefecture

There’s a small town located in the rural confines of Nagasaki prefecture called Hasami and it is considered to be one of the birthplaces of the ceramic industry in Japan, established in the 17th Century. The town feels like a step back into history. Seeing a community whose livelihood is fully intertwined with every facet of its famous ceramic industry is an amazing site whether you’re here for two days or 20 minutes.

If you do have the time, of course you should pop into 10 to 15 different ceramic shops, showcases, showrooms and kilns dotted throughout the Main Street and outlying dedicated pottery villages. However, many of my tours are shore excursions and thus time is of the essence and this is why I go to one pottery location called Kurawankan. It is located inside the Hasami pottery information center with the museum on the second floor and the showroom on the first floor.

Here you will find 30 different local artisian’s showcasing their ceramic wares. At the entrance you have a lot of stock that is heavily discounted and as you wander through each section, you get to read a little bit about the artists and see how beautiful and amazing this pottery really is. 

It’s quite incredible. I get many many customers who say they just want to get a look at the pottery because they have no room in their suitcase or that they're not interested but 99.99% of the time there is definitely one purchase at the minimum taking place. The ladies in the store are so helpful and they will wrap your most valuable assets to make it transport worthy.

It's an incredible place and an amazing experience to see one of Japanese most cultural assets so elegantly and professionally presented to the world.

Please check out the Karawankan Showroom here on the map below:

Please click on these photos below to enlarge:

Please click on these videos below to see more aboit the Kurawankan Showroom in Hasami Town, Nagasaki:

Arita Sera Porcelain Shops: Arita Town- Saga Prefecture

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:

Tozan Shrine: Arita Town, Saga Prefecture

You know you are in Ceramic Territory when the Shrines are decked out in Porcelain designs.  It's actually quite remarkable for such a religious and hence traditional institution to allow these designs but when you think about it, it's actually a marketing masterpiece that will attract more customers to the region to see something unique.

The Tozan Shrine is specifically located just above a train station is its easy to find but of course you just have to be careful when crossing the tracks.  But don't worry since we are in the remote countryside of Kyushu there aren't too many trains in a daily routine.  Walking towards the Shrine is a cultural event in itself.  You literally have to stop and look intensely at every statue, pillar, column and of course the main torii entrance gates that feature at every Shinto Shrine in Japan.

The Shrine is also dedicated to Lee Sam Pei, the Korean Potter (who was allegedly brought to Japan by force in the 17th century) who is the person that developed and started the 1st Ceramic Industry in Japan, specifically here in Arita, Saga Prefecture.  His memorial statue is located up on a hill behind the shrine and although it is a great view up there of the entire town, unless you have a specific reason to do so, visiting the statue is not a moving moment at all.

I recommend this site as its centrally located near many other attractions off a main street and it's obviously the only Shrine in Japan that is decorated just so.  You miss it here, and you will not see another one, period!

Please check out the Tozan Shrine in Arita Town on a map:

 

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Purification time

Porcelain is incredible

Even small is impressive

Interesting roof tiles

Too many details to fathom

The torii gate is impressive

The size of the vases are massive

Check out the detail

Has a magnificent view

Please click on the video below to see more about Tozan Shrine: