Parent's Visit, Part III: Arita and Imari

There were several things mom wanted to see when she came to Japan: Kyoto, Nara, several World Heritage Sites, and two small famous pottery villages in my prefecture: Artia and Imari.

There was one thing Daddy wanted to see, which was Sakura.

Oh, and of course, me.

My parents got to see everything they wanted to see, and our chance to go to Arita and Imari is thanks to my very generous friend, Tatara-san, who offered to give us a ride and then took us out to an excellent buffet which featured food made from local products. The food was delicious, the towns were very pretty, and the pottery was excellent.

Artia is quite possibly the most famous pottery from Japan—it’s white porcelean with blue and red patterns, and there were many famous potters from Japan in the 1600’s. We went to a pottery factory (the same one Dana and I went to), and saw the really old, beautiful pottery.

Imari was a small town that was quarantined by a local king (or perhaps the emperor?) and forced to make pottery for generations. The pottery these people produced was gorgeous, and people are still making pottery there. The pottery tends to be a little more earthen-ware, a little more day-to-day use, and it was in this town where we spent most of our time.

All of the pictures below are of Imari.

*All photos were taken by my mother.