Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
landmark
信楽陶芸の森
Celebrates the area's long history with pottery through museums and workshops.
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.
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