🗺️ Okawachi Yamajiri area有田内山地区

In the early 17th century, potters such as Li Canping discovered the raw materials for porcelain, leading to the development of Arita as one of the earliest regions in Japan to successfully produce porcelain. Among this area, Okawauchiyama is a town that formed based on the development of the ceramics industry. The streets lined with plastered machiya (townhouses) and Western-style buildings from the late Edo period to the early Showa period have been designated as a national important traditional building preservation area due to their high historical value. Strolling through the nostalgic streets that have nurtured Arita ware for four hundred years, one can wander between the exhibition centers and select shops in search of their ideal porcelain. Entering another small path from the street leads to the "TOMBAI wall." The so-called TOMBAI wall is a unique feature of Arita, created for building climbing kilns using waste materials or discarded kiln tools made of fire-resistant red bricks (TOMBAI), which are then coated with red clay to solidify. The Okawauchiyama area also hosts the "Arita Porcelain Market" in spring, attracting porcelain enthusiasts from across the country, and in autumn, it holds the "Arita Sarayama Festival," a parade featuring the rhythmic beating of porcelain.

Take a stroll along the charming streets lined with traditional townhouses and Western-style buildings adorned with plaster. Be sure to take a commemorative photo in front of the unique TOMBAI walls of Arita. There are shops offering lunch or coffee, so if you feel tired, consider taking a break there. In spring, the "Arita Pottery Market" is held, and in autumn, there are the "Arita Plate Mountain Festival" and the "Autumn Arita Ceramics Festival."