Shigaraki, a town famous for its pottery, is a land rich in history, blessed with soil and forests -

Table of Contents

Overview
Must-see spots
Access
Map

Overview

Shigaraki (Koka City, Shiga Prefecture) is a region with a long history. It was the location of Japan’s capital for a time in the 8th century, before Kyoto. Today, it is a world-famous pottery town. Shigaraki ware is famous for its raccoon dog figurines now, but it is actually one of Japan’s six oldest kilns. The pottery production has been carried out here since around the 12th century, using high-quality clay and wood from the surrounding mountains. The whole town of Shigaraki is deeply connected to pottery. If you take a stroll around the center of town, you’ll find climbing kilns and pottery factories here and there. The workshops that can be found everywhere are lined with unique pottery works, and of course you can buy them. There are also many shops along the main street that display and sell their wares.

Must-see spots

The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park

There are many pottery producers in Shigaraki, but that’s not all. The whole region of Shigaraki is also putting a lot of effort into human resources development. The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, which is located on a small hill with a good view, invites around 50 ceramic artists from around the world each year to support them in their work. The park provides ceramic artists with studios that have the facilities to enable them to create large-scale works. Visitors can also freely look around the shops in addition to these facilities.

The Miho Museum

Another attraction is the Miho Museum, which is surrounded by greenery and located in the mountains about 20 minutes by car from the center of Shigaraki. The first thing that strikes you is the wonderful setting, and the magnificent architecture designed by the world-famous architect I. M. Pei. The museum is spacious and comfortable, and the restaurant, which uses vegetables grown using organic methods, is also a delight for vegetarians.

Asamiya tea

Finally, did you know that Shigaraki was the first place in Japan where tea was planted? Tea was first brought back from China by a famous Buddhist monk in the 9th century, and the first place it was planted was in the Asamiya area of Shigaraki. Since then, the Asamiya tea produced in Shigaraki has been known as the pinnacle of tea. The famous Uji tea is blended in Kyoto, but Uji tea often uses Asamiya tea as well. Shigaraki ware is famous as a tea utensil and combining it with Asamiya tea is one of the greatest luxuries. Asamiya tea, which is difficult to obtain, can be easily obtained at the company-owned store in the local Shigaraki area.

We recommend that you ask a local tour guide to guide you around the area. If you are looking for a guide, please click the Application Form button in the header menu, fill it in, and send it to contact us. For details, please refer to Searchguides.com below.