The Arita Ceramics Fair is an annual event that takes place over the Golden Week holiday in the town of Arita in Saga Prefecture. Arita is considered the birthplace of the porcelain industry in Japan when Korean potters who had been brought back to Japan from the Korean peninsula military campaigns found clay outside the city that they soon turned into the finest ceramics.
Arita has more than 400 years of porcelain history and the town continues to define itself by its crafts. The annual ceramics fair counts nearly 500 individual stalls that stretch from JR Arita Station through the center of town. Around one million people make the journey to Arita every year to seek out the best bargains from the town's top kilns.
Mandy Bartok @mandy.bartok
Japan resident for 10 years, with time spent in Okinawa, Kumamoto and Tokyo.
