Mosaic Tile Museum Tajimi

The building alone makes this worth the trip: architect Terunobu Fujimori designed it as an earth mound rising from the ground with trees growing from the summit, one of the more eccentric structures in Japan. Inside, the museum documents Tajimi's century as Japan's leading ceramic mosaic tile producer, supplying decorative tiling for bathhouses, subway stations, and buildings nationwide. A top-floor installation covers walls, floors, and ceilings in tiles of every color and pattern. A workshop area lets visitors create mosaic coasters using tiles from local kilns. Historical displays trace the full arc from traditional technique to the industrial era. Tajimi is about 30 minutes from Nagoya by train.