@Quel moved your new topic into an existing thread. The Travel forum here and also the Japanese Teaware Vendor Recommendations forum have several shops listed.Quel wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:02 amHello guys!
I'm going to Japan next year in a tea focused trip and I'm going to spend an afternoon in Tokoname. I intend to buy some teaware there, but I'm having a little difficulty on finding were to shop exactly... Do pottery artists like Kohokujo or Junzo Maekawa have their own shops? Or do we need to go to a reseller's place? I hardly speak any japanese, so that might be a limiting factor. I was planning on going to Isobe's shop on Ceramall, but her site say the physical location is closed.
Any advice is appreciated!
Visiting Tokoname (2017)
I believe a few guys visited Hokujos workshop, but with beforehand communication. Seems that most potters in Japan do give their pots in other hands to sell, some even have exclusive deals with galleries. Without Japanese definitely a challenge... while friendly in general, it is common that ppl prefer to avoid to deal with foreign inquiries if they can. But trying never hurts. My hunch is that you'll get plenty of distractions anyways once you are on site in Tokoname.Quel wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:02 amHello guys!
I'm going to Japan next year in a tea focused trip and I'm going to spend an afternoon in Tokoname. I intend to buy some teaware there, but I'm having a little difficulty on finding were to shop exactly... Do pottery artists like Kohokujo or Junzo Maekawa have their own shops? Or do we need to go to a reseller's place? I hardly speak any japanese, so that might be a limiting factor. I was planning on going to Isobe's shop on Ceramall, but her site say the physical location is closed.
Any advice is appreciated!
just showing up and visiting a popular artist's workshop is probably unrealistic. you'd need to arrange that ahead of time with someone who knows the artist.
i didn't know isobe's shop is closed. can you talk to her on fb or something?
i didn't know isobe's shop is closed. can you talk to her on fb or something?
-
pizzapotamus
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:52 pm
You'll have no problem finding teapots to buy. There are lots of stores in and around the pottery trail area and then even if Isobe isn't repaired and reopened by the time you go they weren't the only large shop out in that ceramall complex, just one with extremely nice people.
Sunday is a Christian concept, which most of the Japanese are not. Still some are closed following Western fashion, especially smaller shops might have odd days on/off. But in the touristy areas, usually things are open when there are the most people free to walk around.
-
pizzapotamus
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:52 pm
It's certainly highly variable but out of the smaller stores I've wanted to visit in Japan the mostly common day for closures actually seemed to be Wednesday although there was still tons of shopping to be had.
