The Ureshino, Takeo, and Imari areas are home to tourist attractions such as Takeo Onsen Hot Springs, Dosojin, and Matuma-iwa, tourist events such as the Arita Pottery Fair, Imari Tontenton Festival, and Wind Bell Festival, and local delicacies such as fish cakes, dagojiru, and milcook.
Facing Imari Bay, Imari is famous for its pottery production, and has flourished as a port for shipping ceramics fired in nearby Arita and other areas to domestic and overseas destinations.
The Imari City Pottery Merchant House Memorial Museum recalls the activities of the pottery merchants of the Edo period. The building is a reconstruction of the former residence of the Inuzuka family, a prominent pottery merchant, and retains the atmosphere of those days.
At the Umi no Silk Road Museum, which is also located in a former pottery merchant's house, visitors can try their hand at pottery making by making a reservation to turn a potter's wheel and paint a picture on it.
If you go south of Imari City, you will find Okawachiyama, a pottery village in the mountains. The area used to be a domain kiln of the Saga Clan, where Nabeshima potteries were secretly produced for the Shogunate and the Imperial Court.
Today, the area is home to the Nabeshima Clan Kiln Park, where you can experience the history of the kiln through the ruins of an old kiln and a millstone hut for breaking pottery stones.
Today, the area is still dotted with a variety of kilns, where visitors can try their hand at pottery turning, or enjoy a cup of coffee while admiring the pottery they are so proud of.
Arita, on the other hand, became a thriving porcelain production center after white porcelain was discovered by foreign potters. Around Sarayama-dori, there are many ceramic stores and galleries, making it the perfect place to enjoy shopping and admiring the works of art.
It is also recommended to take a stroll through the old town with its red-brick Tombai walls, which were made from the waste materials of dismantled kilns, to immerse yourself in a retro atmosphere.
To conclude your trip with ceramics, a visit to Takeo Onsen, a famous hot spring with a history of 1,300 years, where Toyotomi Hideyoshi left his bathing instructions and Miyamoto Musashi and Siebold also visited.
The area was a bustling post town during the Edo period (1603-1867), and the vermilion-lacquered Takeo Onsen Sakura-mon Gate and other nationally designated cultural assets are among the highlights of the area. The bathhouse is located on a hill, so visitors can enjoy a relaxing bath with a view of the city of Saga.
After taking a bath, enjoy a full meal of kaiseki cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients such as seafood from the Ariake Sea and Saga beef.
Takeo Onsen is a historic hot-spring destination in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, renowned for its long history, traditional architecture, and soothing waters. Located at the foot of Mount Horai, northwest of Takeo-Onsen Station, the hot spring is believed to have been enjoyed for more than 1,200 years. Its enduring appeal lies in the combination of therapeutic bathing, cultural heritage, and the n...»
Yutoku Inari Shrine is a magnificent Shinto shrine located in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. Renowned for its brilliantly colored, lacquered buildings and spectacular hillside setting, it is counted among Japan's Three Great Inari Shrines, alongside Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto and Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture. The shrine has long attracted worshippers seeking blessings for prosperit...»
Arita Porcelain Park is a sightseeing and cultural complex in Arita Town, Saga Prefecture, dedicated to the region's celebrated porcelain and traditional sake-making culture. Known for producing Arita ware, one of Japan's most famous types of porcelain, Arita has a history of ceramic production that stretches back to the early 17th century. Its beautiful ceramics eventually reached European market...»
Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou is an interactive theme park in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, where visitors can experience the atmosphere of the Edo period and explore the fascinating world of Japan’s legendary ninja. Designed around history, traditional entertainment, and hands-on activities, the park offers an immersive experience that makes visitors feel as though they have travelled back in time. ...»
Takeo Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located at the eastern foot of Mount Mifune in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It is widely known for its sacred camphor tree, Takeo no Okusu, which is estimated to be more than 3,000 years old. With its long history, valuable cultural properties, and peaceful forest setting, the shrine has served as an important place of worship and as a guardian shrine for t...»
Ureshino Onsen is a historic hot spring resort in Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture. Known throughout Japan for its exceptionally smooth, gentle water, it is traditionally counted among the Three Great Hot Springs for Beautiful Skin in Japan. The hot spring town is surrounded by mountains and the lush countryside of the Ureshino River valley, creating a relaxing atmosphere where visitors can enjoy tr...»
Märchen Village is a nature-themed amusement park in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Surrounded by greenery, this family-friendly attraction offers a variety of activities for visitors of all ages, from young children to adults. The park's themes are flowers and squirrels, and its grounds combine amusement rides, a small zoo where visitors can interact with animals, and spacious grassy areas where ch...»
Mifuneyama Rakuen is an expansive Japanese garden in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, spreading across the southwestern foothills of Mount Mifune, one of the city's most recognizable natural landmarks. Covering approximately 150,000 tsubo, or about 495,000 square meters, the garden is known for its impressive scale and the beautiful seasonal flowers and trees that transform its landscape throughout th...»
Takeo Onsen Shinkan is a historic bathhouse in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Designed by Kingo Tatsuno, the renowned architect also known for designing Tokyo Station, this elegant wooden building is an outstanding example of early 20th-century Japanese architecture. Once used as a public bathhouse, it has been carefully restored and is now open to visitors as a place where they can appreciate the h...»
Space Science Museum Yumeginga is a large interactive natural science museum in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Known as one of the largest hands-on science museums in Kyushu, it offers visitors an enjoyable way to discover the wonders of space, the natural world, and scientific technology. The museum's central theme is discovering Earth and Saga from the perspective of space, and discovering Earth ...»
Okawachiyama, located in Imari City, Saga Prefecture, is a historic pottery village surrounded by mountains. Known as the Village of Secret Kilns, it is famous for its beautiful natural setting, traditional kilns, brick chimneys, and long-established ceramic culture. The quiet streets and mountain scenery create an atmosphere reminiscent of an old Japanese landscape painting. During the Edo perio...»
The Saga Prefectural Kyushu Ceramic Museum is a specialized museum of ceramics located in Arita Town, Saga Prefecture. It introduces the history, artistic achievements, and technical development of ceramics from Kyushu, with a particular emphasis on the celebrated pottery traditions of the Hizen region, including Arita ware, Imari ware, and Karatsu ware. The museum preserves and exhibits a wide r...»
Mifunegaoka Plum Grove is a beautiful plum-blossom destination at the eastern foot of Mount Mifune in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Covering an expansive area, the grove is home to approximately 10,000 plum trees, which burst into bloom as spring approaches. The spectacular sight is often described as “10,000 plum trees at a glance,” with blossoms spreading across the landscape like a vast carpet o...»
Keishuen Garden is a beautiful traditional Japanese garden located in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It is renowned for its carefully composed landscape, which incorporates Mount Mifune as a borrowed scenic backdrop. Often described as one of the finest Japanese gardens in Kyushu, it covers approximately 3,000 to 4,000 tsubo, or around 10,000 to 13,200 square meters. The garden is designed in the s...»
Funankogui is a traditional local dish from the Kashima region of Saga Prefecture. It is made by wrapping a whole crucian carp in kelp and slowly simmering it together with daikon radish for an entire day and night. This distinctive preparation has been passed down through generations and is particularly associated with winter and special celebratory occasions. Originally developed as a preserved...»
An Essential Dish at Okunchi Festival Celebrations Chestnut rice, known in Japanese as kuri okowa, is a traditional dish enjoyed throughout Saga Prefecture. Made with glutinous rice and chestnuts, it is a simple local specialty that captures the flavors of autumn. In Arita, chestnut rice is closely associated with the Okunchi festival held in October. Large quantities are prepared by steaming, t...»
A Highly Regarded Brand of Saga Beef Imari Beef is a premium brand of Japanese Wagyu produced in Saga Prefecture. Among the Japanese Black cattle raised throughout Saga, only beef recognized for its finely textured meat and its distinctive, rich sweetness and flavor qualifies for the prestigious Saga Beef brand. Within this category, beef produced in the area under the jurisdiction of JA Imari i...»
A Unique Local Food from the Famous Porcelain Town Arita, internationally renowned for its porcelain, has another local specialty besides ceramics: Go-Tofu, also written as Godo-fu (呉豆腐). This distinctive tofu is made by thickening soy milk with starch or kudzu starch rather than using the nigari coagulant commonly used to make ordinary tofu. The result is a tofu with a remarkably smooth, soft, ...»
Imari Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine in Imari City, Saga Prefecture. Formerly designated as a prefectural shrine, it has deep ties to the history, legends, and religious traditions of the region. It is also closely associated with the story of the introduction of citrus fruit to Japan and with the founder of the confectionery company Morinaga....»
Arita Town is located in western Saga Prefecture and is internationally renowned as the birthplace of Arita ware, one of Japan's most celebrated traditional ceramics. The town has developed around its centuries-old porcelain industry, and its streets, historic buildings, museums, workshops, and surrounding countryside all reflect this rich heritage. Visitors from Japan and overseas come to discove...»
The Saga Prefectural Kyushu Ceramic Museum is a prefectural museum specializing in ceramics, located in Arita Town, Saga Prefecture. Its collections and exhibitions focus primarily on pottery and porcelain from across Kyushu, with particular emphasis on the celebrated ceramic traditions of the Hizen region, including Arita ware, Imari ware, and Karatsu ware. The museum introduces the history, art...»
The Arita Uchiyama Traditional Buildings Preservation District is a historic townscape in Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture. Internationally known as the home of Arita ware, the area preserves traditional buildings that reflect the prosperity of Japan's porcelain industry from the early Edo period onward. White-walled storehouses, historic pottery workshops, merchant houses, and...»
Sueyama Shrine, located in Ōtaru, Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, is a distinctive shrine closely associated with the development of Arita ware and the faith of the town's ceramic artisans. Although its official reading is "Sueyama Jinja," it is also commonly pronounced "Tōzan Jinja." Situated in Arita, one of Japan's best-known centers of porcelain production, the shrine refl...»
Mount Kurokami is a 516-meter-high mountain on the border between Takeo City and Arita Town in Saga Prefecture. Selected for both the New 100 Famous Japanese Mountains and the 100 Famous Mountains of Kyushu, it is known for its dramatic rocky scenery as well as its long history of mountain worship and ascetic Buddhist practice. With its rugged peaks, distinctive rock formations, ancient shrines, ...»
The Arita Ceramic Museum is a municipal museum specializing in ceramics, located in Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture. It is an important destination for anyone interested in the history, craftsmanship, and artistic development of Japanese porcelain. Housed in a historic stone warehouse, the museum introduces the rich heritage of Arita ware through a collection of ceramics dating...»
Takeo City is located in the western part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Surrounded by beautiful natural scenery and rich in cultural heritage, the city is best known for Takeo Onsen, a historic hot spring resort that has welcomed visitors for centuries. Beyond its famous hot springs, Takeo offers traditional Japanese gardens, historic temples and shrines, cultural properties, scenic...»
Lake Ikenouchi is a historic irrigation reservoir located in Nagashima, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. Surrounded by greenery and recreational facilities, it is a peaceful destination where visitors can enjoy the changing scenery of the seasons. The lake was selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Irrigation Ponds by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on March 25, 2010, in recognition of...»
The Saga Prefectural Space and Science Museum, commonly known as Yumeginga, is located in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It is an interactive science museum where visitors can explore the mysteries of space, the Earth, and the natural sciences through hands-on exhibits and educational activities. Although space exploration is a major theme, the museum covers a wide range of scientific subjects, mak...»
Takeo Shrine is located at the foot of Mount Mifune in Takeo Town, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It is an ancient Shinto shrine best known for the enormous sacred camphor tree called the Takeo Great Camphor Tree, which is estimated to be more than 3,000 years old. With a history stretching back to ancient times, the shrine has served as an important place of worship and as a guardian sanctuary for ...»
Takeo City Library and Historical Museum is a municipal cultural complex located in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It opened in its present form on October 1, 2000, and consists of two principal facilities: a public library and a historical museum. The library provides a welcoming place for reading, research, and community activities, while the historical museum introduces the history of the Takeo ...»
Shiroishi Town is located in the south-central part of Saga Prefecture, facing the Ariake Sea. It is known for its extensive reclaimed land, rich tidal flats, fertile agricultural fields, and distinctive local traditions. The town belongs to Kishima District and offers visitors a combination of natural scenery, historical sites, seasonal festivals, and fresh regional produce. The landscape of Shi...»
Nui-no-Ike Pond is a beautiful spring-fed pond located in the Kawazu district of Yuzaki, in the western part of Shiroishi Town, Kishima District, Saga Prefecture. Covering an area of approximately 0.6 hectares, the pond is known for its clear water, tranquil natural surroundings, and the small Itsukushima Shrine standing on an island at its center. For many years, the pond had dried up because of...»
Inasa Shrine is a historic Shinto shrine located in Shiroishi Town, Kishima District, Saga Prefecture. With a history stretching back to ancient times, it is closely associated with the region's early religious traditions and the blending of Shinto and Buddhism. The shrine was formerly classified as a prefectural shrine and is recorded in Japan's historical chronicles as a place of worship dedicat...»
Omachi Town is located almost in the center of Saga Prefecture and belongs to Kishima District. With an area of just 11.46 square kilometers, it is the smallest municipality in Saga Prefecture. Despite its compact size, the town has a wealth of natural scenery, historical sites, local traditions, and distinctive food culture. Surrounded by nature, Omachi offers beautiful seasonal landscapes and a ...»
Kohoku Town, located in the central part of Saga Prefecture in Kishima District, is known as an important transportation junction. Railways and major roads meet here, and the town is home to a variety of historical sites, cultural landmarks, and places where visitors can enjoy the surrounding natural environment....»
The Doi Family Residence is a historic building in Ōmachi Town, Kishima District, Saga Prefecture. Located along the former Nagasaki Kaidō highway, it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on February 5, 1974. Originally built as a sake brewery, the residence preserves a distinctive architectural style that combines features of an Edo-period merchant house with those of a farmhous...»
Kashima City is located in the southern part of Saga Prefecture. Formerly part of Fujitsu District, the city faces the Ariake Sea to the east and borders Nagasaki Prefecture to the southwest. The Tara Mountain Range extends across its southern area, and several rivers flow from the mountains toward the surrounding plains. Rich in both history and natural beauty, Kashima is home to numerous histor...»
Hachihongi-juku, in Hamanaka Town, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, is a historic district within Hizen Hamashuku. Located on the left bank of the Hama River, it preserves a traditional streetscape of sake breweries, merchant houses, and former samurai residences. The area developed around brewing and commerce and remains particularly well known for its historic sake-brewery street....»
Hamashōzu and Hamakanaya are historic districts in Hama Town, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. Located on the right bank of the Hama River, they form part of Hizen Hamashuku, an area that preserves the traditional streetscape of a former port town. Covering approximately 2.0 hectares, the district contains buildings and streets that reflect the area's development from the early modern period to the ...»
Asahigaoka Park is a historic urban park in Takatsuhara, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. It is famous for its cherry blossoms, with so many trees blooming in spring that the scenery is often described as offering 5,000 cherry trees at a glance. The park has also been selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Historical Parks, reflecting its importance as both a place of natural beauty and a site connected...»
Fumyōji Temple is an Ōbaku Zen Buddhist temple located in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. Its mountain name is Enpukuzan, and its principal objects of worship are the Shaka Triad, a group centered on Shakyamuni Buddha. Known for its distinctive Ōbaku architectural style and rich natural surroundings, the temple is an important part of Kashima's religious and cultural heritage....»
Ureshino City is located in the western part of Saga Prefecture. It is a popular destination known for Ureshino Onsen, one of the region's best-known hot spring resorts, and Shiotatsu, a historic townscape that preserves the atmosphere of an old post town. Surrounded by a rich natural environment, the city also retains traditional industries and cultural practices that have been passed down throug...»
Ureshino Onsen is one of the best-known hot spring resorts in Saga Prefecture, located in Ureshino City. Along with Takeo Onsen, it is one of the prefecture's representative hot spring destinations. It is particularly famous as one of Japan's Three Great Hot Springs for Beautiful Skin, attracting visitors from throughout Japan and overseas with its distinctive water, long history, and welcoming ho...»
Todoroki Waterfall is a beautiful waterfall in Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture. Surrounded by rich natural scenery, it is well loved by local residents and visitors alike. The landscape changes with the seasons, and in spring, cherry blossoms add color to the area, attracting many people who come to enjoy the flowers and the waterfall together....»
Shiotatsu is a historic district in Shioda Town, Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture. Known for its white-plastered walls and traditional townhouses, it preserves the atmosphere of an Edo-period post town and river port. In 2005, the district was designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings by the Japanese government. Its history reflects the development of transpor...»
The Nishioka Family Residence is a historic merchant house in Shiotatsu, Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, it is a substantial traditional building that conveys the prosperity of a wealthy merchant family during the Edo period. Shiotatsu itself is designated an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and its historic st...»
Tara Town is located at the southern tip of Saga Prefecture, in Fujitsu District. Nestled at the foot of the Tara mountain range and facing the Ariake Sea to the east, the town is blessed with a rich natural environment, a mild climate, and abundant marine resources. Its scenery changes throughout the seasons, and its attractions include historic sites, hot springs, traditional festivals, and dist...»
Tara Onsen is a hot spring destination in Tara Town, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture. Located along the beautiful coast of the Ariake Sea, it is particularly associated with Takezaki Onsen, also known as Tara Takezaki Onsen. The area is popular for its seaside baths and fresh seafood, especially Takezaki crab and other local marine products. Visitors can enjoy the combination of hot spring bathi...»
Mount Taradake is a 996-meter-high mountain on the border between Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures in Kyushu. It is included among the 100 Famous Mountains of Kyushu and the 300 Famous Japanese Mountains. With its rich natural environment, distinctive volcanic terrain, and long history of mountain worship, it is a popular destination for hikers, nature enthusiasts, and visitors interested in Japan's ...»
Takezaki Kanzeonji Temple is a historic Buddhist temple located on Takezaki Island in Tara Town, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture. The temple and the surrounding island are known for their rich combination of religious heritage, traditional festivals, volcanic scenery, and maritime history. Takezaki Island projects into the Ariake Sea and has long been an important center of local culture and wo...»