Mashiko has numerous pottery studios offering various experiences. Let's try your hand at pottery making for a memorable day!

Options for Pottery Making:

Potter's Wheel (Rokuro): This is the classic experience of shaping clay on a spinning wheel. Most courses are 60-90 minutes.

Hand-building (Tebineri): Allows for more free-form creations without a wheel.

Painting (E-tsuke): Decorating pre-made pottery pieces. This is a quicker option if you're short on time or prefer decorating.

Studios to choose:

Pottery Studio Fuwari: Offers one-time courses for hand-forming or electric wheel. They do the finishing process for you, and you can specify glaze color.

Mashiko Togei Club (Kominka Furuki): Offers 90-minute and full-day experiences.

After your pottery session, enjoy a local meal. Mashiko has a variety of restaurants and cafes, many of which use Mashiko ware for serving

Recommendations:

- Mashiko no Chaya (Mashiko no chaya): A lunch cafe with a retro antique feel, offering Japanese and Western cuisine, including soba made with local flour. Run by Mashiko Pottery Yokoyama.

- Café Mashiko-Bito: Overlooks the rural landscape, offering dishes with local ingredients served on Mashiko ware.

- Mori no Restaurant MARCHERANT: A quiet cafe restaurant located in the forest, offering a relaxing atmosphere.

- Curry Kitchen Yamani: If you're in the mood for Japanese curry; we can try local specialties like "Burma jiru" (a soup dish).

We have several optional suggestion for your afternoon time while in Mashiko town,

Optional 1 - Pottery Shopping (Jonaizaka Street): Stroll down Jonaizaka, the main street of Mashiko, which is lined with numerous pottery shops and galleries. You can find everything from reasonably priced everyday items to exquisite art pieces by renowned artists.

Optional 2 - Yamani Otsuka: A large store with a wide variety of works from about 100 artists. They also have a gallery featuring exhibitions.

Craft Yamani: A sister store to Yamani Otsuka, featuring works by popular artists and even Shoji Hamada's pieces.

Optional 3 - Museums and Cultural Sites:

Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art: Showcases Mashiko-yaki and modern ceramic works from Japan and overseas.

Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum: Visit the former residence, workshop, and kilns of Shoji Hamada, a Living National Treasure who significantly influenced Mashiko pottery.

Higeta Aizome Kobo (Indigo Dyeing Studio): One of the oldest indigo dyeing studios in Japan, you can observe the dyeing process and purchase souvenirs. It's located at the bottom of Jonaizaka Street.

Optional 4 - Relax at a Café: Enjoy a coffee or sweet treat at one of Mashiko's charming cafes.

Starnet: Known for its organic offerings.

Chaya Amamaki: A café surrounded by forest, known for its artistic space and pizzas.

Yama Moegi (Moegi Main Branch): A log cabin-style café in the mountains, perfect for enjoying nature with a Mashiko ware mug.