With the afternoon sun burning bright in the sky on a beautiful , it was time to head to my next destination, the famous Pottery Path. I was quite excited about this, since I had heard many good things from people who have visited this ancient path of craftsmanship and pure passion for pottery.

The path starts not too far from the Station. The Pottery footpath starts near the main road and has quite interesting and often funny pottery alongside the wall.

These figures are all well-wishes for anything ranging from good luck for traveling to relationships, business fortune, and even one to help you quit smoking.

From there, the path meanders throughout the old town and you’ll pass by old workshops, factories, cafe’s, old houses, a giant cat face, museums, and various shops selling everything from souvenirs and nicknacks to pottery, of course.

Rather than bore you with mere words, I’ll let the pictures do the talking here.

The aforementioned giant cat face:

After taking a few pictures of the giant cat (I meant, how often do you see something like that on a pottery path?), I continued through the meandering paths and eventually came upon A lovely Cafe along the way.

One of the many meandering paths on this path:

Interesting Pottery lined many walls along the way.

This was definitely one of the most interest sections:

From old storage facilities and ovens:

To Brick Buildings now used as Restaurants.

You can really feel the spirit of the Pottery and Tile-making culture here. Make sure to bring good walking shoes though, otherwise you’ll feel the spirit of leg muscle cramps in the morning, hahah.

While the path is generally quite well laid out and there’s adequate signage, you will probably get lost a few times if there aren’t many people walking the path that day. Maybe it was my photographer’s curiosity, or just sheer lack of navigational skills, but I did get lost on the path a few times and had to trek back a little to get on the right path again.

But that’s all part of exploring an ancient village, isn’t it? Getting lost and finding interesting things along the way is half the fun.

And fun it definitely was. Found this unique store

Selling all kinds of hand-crafted goods

What I noticed all along the path was that many houses and shops seemed unchanged from their humble beginnings in the 12th century. It felt like you were stepping into another time, and that feeling stayed with me the entire time I traversed the Yakimono Sanpomichi (or Pottery Path, if you don’t want to attempt that tongue-breaker).


The course itself is only about 1.5km, but there’s so much to do and see along the way that you’ll easily spend a good 2 hours here - much more if you’re into photography and bring a camera with you - and it is definitely worth bringing one with you! While you may not be able to capture the entire atmosphere of the town in mere pictures, but you’ll take some lasting impressions with you, one way or another. Whether it’s a solo trip or a family trip; whether you are into pottery, landscape, art, or just good food, you’ll have a great time here. Make sure to bring some good walking shoes with you though - trust me on that.
The terrain can be a bit rough in some parts.

Overall, I must’ve walked at least 8km that day, since I went to the Pottery Path on foot from the INAX MUSEUM. I was getting a bit tired towards the end of the afternoon, so in desperate need of a quick break, a beer, and something to eat (yes, in that order), I ducked into an inviting looking restaurant for some truly delicious Soba Noodles and a well-deserved break at the end of the day.

Cheers!!

Informative displays, a lovely old town with a very long history, streets adorned with interesting, sometimes funny, but always creative pottery creations, and some great restaurants and coffee shops along the way - what could you want more from a day out in Tokoname? This somewhat hidden gem is definitely worth exploring! If you’re interested in history, culture, or photography, this town is not to be missed.