Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park

Shigaraki is one of Japan's six ancient kiln sites, with a pottery tradition stretching back centuries. The Ceramic Cultural Park, designed by architect Isozaki Arata, houses a museum of historical and contemporary Shigaraki ware alongside outdoor sculpture installations and large climbing kilns fired during special events. Hands-on workshops let you throw clay on a wheel or hand-build your own piece, to be fired and shipped home. The town around the park is full of tanuki raccoon dog statues, from massive roadside figures to tiny shop-front guardians, giving the whole area a cheerful, slightly offbeat character that children and adults both appreciate.