- Northern Pacific Wanderings 2024 — here we go!
- Enjoying a few days in Hong Kong
- A day in Kaohsiung and Tainan, Taiwan
- A quick trip to the Penghu Islands
- Two Days in Taipei, Taiwan
- Naha, Okinawa
- Two days in Beijing
- Two days in Incheon and Seoul, South Korea
- Jeju Island, Korea
- Busan, Korea in a day!
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Arita, Japan
- Miyajima and Hiroshima, Japan
- Kyoto’s Bamboo Forest and Rock Garden
- Matsushima, Japan
- Hakadote, Japan
- Kushiro, Japan
- Dutch Harbor….er, Unalaska, Alaska
- Kodiak, AK
- Homer, AK
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, AK
- Sitka, AK
- Klawock and Craig, AK
- A Nanaimo, BC, Canada drive by
- Vancouver BC, end of trip, and final thoughts
After arriving in the port city of Fukuoka, we went up into the mountains to the birthplace of Japanese porcelain — Arita. I wanted to come here for two reasons: (1) I’m a clay kinda guy and seeing how others perform their art and craft is of great interest to me, and (2) an Australian friend of mine worked here as part of an exchange through the Rotary Club (I actually got to see where she worked!) Anyway, while Japan had been making pottery since time immemorial, they were a little late to the game with porcelain. Porcelain pottery making really started in China, then went to Korea, and then to Japan. The key was finding the right clay — in this case, kaolin, which a soft white clay that is the primary ingredient in producing porcelain. That occurred in the late 16th century. For many years, China was the primary exporter of porcelain around the world, but when they shut themselves off to the rest of the world, Japan stepped up and filled the gap. In fact, they went well beyond the traditional blue and white style of Chinese porcelain and started to add overglazes to create more depth and visual interest.
As we came into town, I couldn’t help but notice that the streets looked amazingly empty and about 95% of the shops were closed. It turns out that it was a holiday. Arrgghh! Anyway, we got to visit one factory that my friend worked at (Fukuyama Seji) and then wandered around town. There were a few shops open (including Koransha — another place my friend worked at) and I walked around seeing the other sites of the town, including their local pottery museum. What’s interesting is that there are so many historic and traditional buildings from the Meiji Period (1868-1912). It’s registered as a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Japan. My window shopping identified a couple of pieces that I would love to have purchased but, unfortunately, the shop was closed.
After yet another amazing lunch (are you picking up a trend here?), we went to another porcelain factory and were given a tour by the owner. They have been producing porcelain here since the mid-1800s and, in fact, had some pieces shown at an exhibition in Paris shortly thereafter. The factory has only 15 employees, but turns out an incredible amount of work — mostly functional pieces. The owner was as an absolute hoot and a very gracious host. He patiently took us through the factory with translation provided by our guide. At one point, I showed him some of my pieces and in said, in English, “Ah, artist. You get it!” That was pretty cool! Anyway, we enjoyed some retail therapy and then headed back to port.
The next stop is another sobering one — Hiroshima.
This entry was posted in Arita, Cruising, Japan, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
