Visit

Kasama Inari Art Museum

This museum is the place to learn about the rich history of Japanese pottery.

Located on the grounds of Kasama Inari Shrine, the museum displays six styles of ancient pottery in the permanent exhibition.

Their collection consists of works from the Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi periods, spanning over 1,000 years old. Elaborate hanging scrolls and folding screens with drawings depicting scenes of Japanese landscapes and seasonal motifs are also displayed in special exhibitions.

Visitors can gain valuable knowledge about the history and development of Japanese ceramics at this museum.

Yakimono Dori (Pottery Street)/To no Komichi (Pottery Lane)

Long-established pottery studios and large-sized wholesale stores are lined up at Kasama Yakimono Dori, a street along National Route 355. The numerous facilities include Katsura Tougei, which specializes in handling Kasama-yaki, a Japan Heritage, and Hisa Toukoubou, where visitors can participate in a pottery workshop.

To no Komichi is also a pottery street. It starts from the eastern side of Kasama Yakimono-dori and runs parallel to another craft street, Gallery Road. There are about ten stores directly managed by pottery studios, where visitors can meet the potters directly.

Ibaraki Prefectural Archives and Museum

The Ibaraki Prefectural Archives and Museum (Mito City) was established in 1974. Permanent exhibits showcase the history of Ibaraki from ancient times to the present day. The museum itself is housed on a plot spanning 72,000m2. This formerly was a residence during the Edo Period (1603–1868) and later a Western-style school building from the Meiji Period (1868–1912).
During autumn, the museum grounds are fantastic to see bright yellow ginkgo trees, a seasonal highlight in Japan.