I was traveling by train to Imari, and Arita station was part of my itinerary, where I had to change to a local train to finally reach Imari. I had to wait some time for the next train and I thought it was going to be boring. However, it was not! Arita is a beautiful station located in a small town in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, popular in Japan for its pottery known as Arita-Yaki. This station is quite cozy; I loved the nice and comfortable wooden benches in the waiting room. There are also a few shops where you can buy some food or porcelain souvenirs from Arita. However, what caught my attention the most was the architecture of this station. It has an awesome and very impressive dome, which makes this small building a special place.
I spent my time there having lunch and reading something about the town of Arita. Everything in this town seems to be connected to pottery: shops, museums, shrines etc. In fact, not far from Arita station you can find the Prefectural Museum of Kyushu Ceramic Arts that covers the history of ceramics in Kyushu. It is probably the best museum in Arita.
Most of Arita’s attractions are located in the old part of the town, close to Kami-Arita station. It is just one stop towards Fukuoka on the JR Sasebo line. From there you can visit the Tozan Shrine, the Tonbai Wall Alleys, the Ceramic Museum, the Izumiyama Quarry or the Folk and History Museum. Not far from there you can also visit the Tengudani Kiln Site. Tengudani Kiln was one of the first kilns built in Arita.
Arita Porcelain Park is another attraction. It is a porcelain related theme park situated on the outskirts of the town. It is famous for featuring a reconstruction of the Zwinger Palace of Dresden and the above mentioned Tengudani Kiln.
Wow! The time has passed so quickly. My train is now approaching the station. It was a nice break. I really enjoyed my reading about Arita and its history. It’s a pity I cannot visit Arita this time, but If any of you are going to be traveling around the area, this town is surely worth a visit.
