My top tips for an amazing Arita trip in 2020

I’m a huge advocate for getting off the beaten path when it comes to travel. I’ve seen 44 out of 47 prefectures in Japan, and I will get them all ticked off my list one day! I feel like so many of the lesser traveled prefectures are jam-packed with amazing things to explore, and one spot I haven’t been able to get off my mind ever since we visited there was Arita, in Saga Prefecture. The town is often regarded as the birthplace of pottery in Japan, and for this ceramic-obsessed expat it was my idea of an incredibly good time.

If you’ve also got Arita on your travel radar for 2020, here are four spots that you shouldn’t miss.

Arita Porcelain Park

If I was shown a photograph of Arita Porcelain Park with zero context behind it, I’d immediately assume it had been taken somewhere in Europe. That’s understandable though, given that the main building on the grounds is a replica of Germany’s Zwinger Palace. This place is designated as a “theme park” since there are several other attractions on the grounds, including opportunities to try your hand at creating your own porcelain pieces, beer and sake tasting, and a number of both Japanese and Western restaurants if you’re feeling hungry.

We had a rental car and drove to the park, and there is plenty of on-site parking available. If you’re visiting the area and using public transport, head to Arita Station (JR Sasebo Line) and from there you’ll need to catch a cab - it’s under 10 minutes away from the station itself.

Tozan Shrine

This is a shrine with some distinctly unique features! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

After living in Japan for a while, you may be thinking “once I’ve seen one shrine, I’ve seen them all”, but Tozan Shrine shakes things up a little. Immediately as you arrive, you’ll be greeted by a trademark torii arch - made out of porcelain, no less. The komainu here are porcelain, the ema are porcelain...it’s anything but your average, run of the mill shrine. We actually purchased one of the ema to use as a Christmas ornament for our tree - it’s lovely!

Some more of those beautiful blue and white porcelain accents.

The shrine is only about ten minutes on foot from Kami-Arita Station (JR Sasebo Line), and if you drive there’s a small parking lot close to the shrine entrance. It’s also situated very close to a number of unique pottery stores including the ultra-modern Arita Porcelain Lab, so be sure to take some time and explore those.

Gallery Arita

Just some of the cups and saucers you can choose from to enjoy your beverage in. So hard to choose!

Good coffee, tasty eats, and a uniquely designed cafe are just the start of what's on offer here at Gallery Arita. The walls are lined with an impressive number of coffee mugs (apparently the official number is somewhere over 2000!) and when you order a coffee you're able to pick one of the mugs on display to have your coffee served in. I thought it was a pretty unique concept to connect with some local pottery, and we had fun browsing the offerings on display. There's also a gift shop/gallery attached to the cafe portion of the premises, where you can pick up a whole host of souvenirs, from your own mugs, plates or vases to take home, through to smaller things like chopstick rests if you're traveling light.

My husband picked this unique one for his drink!

Gallery Arita is located less than ten minutes on foot from Arita Station. If you drive there, on-site parking is available.

Galaxy Glaze Showroom

You'll find pottery that tells a story at the Galaxy Glaze Showroom.

Part of why I love pottery so much is that it often seems to tell a story, and that's definitely the case with the items at Arita's Galaxy Glaze Showroom. The galaxy glaze concept was invented by Tetsuaki Nakao, an artist who sought to find a way to capture the beauty of the universe on pottery pieces. The glaze sparkles and shimmers like stars, and some of the pieces at the showroom here cost several thousand dollars.

My husband and I settled on a couple of mugs from the "imperfect" basket, but they're perfect to us...just a little more in line with our current budget! The showroom here is only a couple of minute's walk away from Tozan Shrine, so I highly recommend visiting the showroom here if you're after a truly one-of-a-kind piece to remember your Arita travels with. 

Search the "imperfect" bins for a cheaper galaxy glaze piece - they are perfect as one of a kind souvenirs from your time in Arita!

Any plans to visit anywhere new in 2020? What's on your list?