Arita
Birthplace Of Japanese Porcelain (1616); The Uchiyama District Is An Important Preservation District For Groups Of Traditional Buildings · Arita, Saga
A small town in the hills of western Saga, in Kyushu, where Japanese porcelain began. In 1616, according to tradition, the Korean potter Yi Sam-pyeong, brought to Japan after the invasions of Korea in the 1590s, found porcelain stone at Izumiyama, and Arita became the first place in Japan to fire true porcelain. From the mid-seventeenth century its blue-and-white and colourful enamelled wares were shipped from nearby Imari port by the Dutch to Europe, where Imari ware decorated palaces and was copied at Meissen. The old Uchiyama district, a long street of merchant houses, kilns and shops in a narrow valley, is an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Behind it are the Tonbai walls, built from old kiln bricks and shards. Sue Shrine has a torii of porcelain, and the Kyushu Ceramic Museum tells the whole story. In Golden Week the Arita Ceramic Fair fills the town with stalls and huge crowds. Nearby are the kiln village of Okawachiyama, Takeo and Ureshino hot springs, and Karatsu. Arita is about 80 minutes from Hakata by limited express.
Uchiyama, Arita-cho, Arita, Saga, 844-0006, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the old town streets are open at all times, and most shops and galleries open roughly 9 or 10 am to 5 pm, with many closed one weekday, often mid-week, and some over the New Year. The Kyushu Ceramic Museum opens roughly 9 am to 5 pm, with last entry about 30 minutes before, and closes on Mondays. The Ceramic Fair runs roughly 29 April to 5 May, with stalls from early morning. Trains to Kami-Arita are infrequent. Confirm current times before relying on them.