City Guide
Directions: Mashiko
24 July, 2024
01
Mashiko.Mashiko is roughly a two and a half hour train ride from Tokyo, it is a great spot to check out vintage and antique shops as well as being host to many pottery and ceramics shops and workshops. It is definitely worth the trip for a day or more!
02
Fairfield by Marriott.Stay:
Fairfield by Marriott
This hotel was about a 15 min drive from the pottery area but worth it. It was so clean and comfortable and we would definitely stay again.
Eat:
Gofuku
Only a 10 min walk from Fairfield by Marriott, this tonkotsu place was yummy with family run vibes. It's in an old house with a beautiful garden.
Midnight Breakfast
This cafe looks like an old gas station. We had some avo toast and an iced coffee. The people who ran it were so friendly and told us some other places to visit in the area.
Kikaraki
Hidden down a little street this cafe was a delight. We had a curry (even though it was 40°c outside).
03
Gofuku.Do:
Higeta Indigo Dyeing Studio
The Higeta Aizome Indigo Dyeing Studio in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, dates back to the Kansei era (1789-1801 CE) of the Edo period.
The workshop is run by Higeta Tadashi, master craftsman of aizome (idigo dyeing) and ninth-generation head of the workshop, who succeeded his father, Higeta Hiroshi, in 2003.
Strawberry Picking
Mashiko is in Tochigi Prefecture, whish is Japan's number one strawberry-producing area. There are strawberry farms in Mashiko where you can go strawberry picking, and between November and June many Japanese and foreign tourists visit the are to pick strawberries.
Reservations for strawberry and apple picking can be made at the Mashiko Tourism Association.
04
Mashiko.05
Kikaraki.Shop:
Uchimischi Kojo
This is a second hand bookshop and antique store. There were so many amazing design books and beautiful old furniture. We purchased many goodies here.
Art Into Life
The lovely guy at Uchimischi Kojo told me to go here. It's a little record store, which was nice to flick through records I had never heard of. Around this area there's a few antique stores to explore.
Jonaizaka Pottery Street
Get read to spend a LOT of money! This whole street is just pottery shop, after pottery shop, ranging in style and price. Our favourite was Moegi.
06
Life Into Art.07
Uchimischi Kojo.What is Mashiko-ware?
Mashiko ware (called Mashiko yaki in Japanese) is produced in the area around the town of Mashiko in Tochigi prefecture. The clay used in Mashiko ware is rich in silicic acid and iron with a high plasticity, making it easy to shape and highly fire-resistant. Unlike other potteries, no extra ingredients are added to the clay; which is the secret behind Mashiko ware's thickness. While the clay makes this pottery heavier than others and requires handling with care, there is a unique and rustic practicality to its thick clay texture.