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 an ancient hot spring that opened about 1,200 years ago, located northwest of Takeo Onsen Station at the foot of Horai Mountain. Legend has it that Empress Jingu, on her triumphal return to Japan, struck a rock with the hilt of her sword, and hot water immediately gushed out, hence the name Karasaki Onsen in the past. It was also called Horai-sen because it springs at the foot of ...»
Yutoku Inari Shrine is known as one of the "Three Great Inari" shrines in Japan, along with Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto and Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki, and is a deity that protects food, clothing, and shelter. It is visited by approximately 3 million worshippers annually, the second largest number in Kyushu after Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka. The main shrine, Kaguraden (music hall), ...»
Arita Porcelain Park is a "sake and vessel" theme park that recreates the German Zwinger Palace in the home of Arita-yaki, which has fascinated European royalty and aristocracy since the 17th century and has greatly influenced the world of ceramics. This facility mainly introduces Arita-yaki porcelain, and visitors can experience underglaze painting, hand-painting, and potter's wheel making at the...»
This is a theme park that allows visitors to experience history, focusing on ninja and Edo Period themes. With a total area of 75,000 square meters, the park recreates the Nagasaki Highway of the Edo period, featuring street performances such as Toad's Oil Peddler and Nankin Tamasudare, as well as ninja shows put on by the leafy ninja. There are 60 facilities in the park, including a barrier stat...»
Takeo Shrine is the oldest shrine in the city and is also called Takeo Gosha Daimyojin. Behind the shrine, there is a huge tree called "Takeo no Ookusu," which is 3,000 years old and is revered as the sacred tree of Takeo Shrine. The shrine is majestic and was founded in the Heian period (794-1185) and is located on the hillside of Mt. Mifune. It is dedicated to Takeuchi Shukugi, and is also kno...»
This hot spring is located in a beautiful countryside surrounded by tea plantations. Ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) line the streets of the hot spring resort, creating a quiet and tranquil atmosphere. Ureshino Hot Spring, along with Takeo Hot Spring, is one of the representative hot spring resorts in Saga Prefecture. This hot spring resort is also known as "Ureshino Onsen," one of the three b...»
This amusement park is surrounded by nature with a theme of flowers and squirrels. Visitors can feed the animals and play on the Ferris wheel, fairy tale train, ladybug coaster, carousel, and other attractions, and never get bored! Come and play with us in the fun fairy tale village while interacting with the adorable animals! Feed the rabbits, goats and guinea pigs in the mini zoo. You are also ...»
Located at the southwestern foot of Mt. Mifune, the symbol of Takeo City, this huge Japanese garden covers an area of 150,000 tsubo. It is a garden with a pond-enkaiyu style, and is famous for its azaleas and autumn foliage. It took three years to create the garden. In spring, 5,000 cherry trees, 200,000 azaleas, and 170-year-old giant wisteria trees bloom in turn, creating a vibrant display of s...»
This building is an example of Japanese-style architecture by Kingo Tatsuno and is one of the few remaining examples. The building was used as a public bathhouse, but was closed in 1973 due to aging and other reasons. Historically, the building, designed by Kingo Tatsuno, was topped out on November 20, 1914, and completed the following April 12, 1915. The building is a two-story, hip-and-gable s...»
The largest hands-on natural science museum in Kyushu. Exhibits consist of five zones: Discover the Universe, Discover the Earth, Discover Saga, Science Toy Box, and Children's Plaza. The museum is also equipped with a state-of-the-art planetarium and observatory. In the Discover Earth zone, there are exhibits for children to enjoy, such as the "Linear Motor Car. The Space Discovery Zone, on the ...»
Okawachi is a pottery village loved by the feudal lord. Okawachi, the village of hidden kilns, has beautiful landscapes like a landscape painting and an outstanding pottery culture. During the Edo period (1603-1867), the highest quality porcelain "Nabeshima" was produced here as the official kiln of the Nabeshima family of the Saga Domain. Even today, 30 potteries are preserving the traditional pr...»
In 1942, 10,000 plum trees were planted on an area of 30,000 tsubo (about 1.5 acres), and the Ryo-ran Juku was built next to the trees. Riran Juku was built to promote friendship between Japan and Manchukuo. On the 165,000-square-meter site that stretches on the east side of Mt. Mifune, 10,000 plum trees, called "10,000 at a glance," bloom beautifully from mid-February to early March. During this ...»
Keishu-en Garden is a beautiful pure Japanese garden that is said to be the best in Kyushu, covering an area of about 4,000 tsubo. This garden is a masterpiece of pure Japanese gardening by Kinsaku Nakane, who was known as "Kobori Enshu of the Showa era" for creating famous gardens at the Adachi Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others. Against the backdrop of Mt. Mifune and...»
An ancient recipe for food preservation hailing from the Kagishima area. A crucian carp is wrapped alive in kelp, and boiled together with daikon radish for close to an entire day. The Saga/Hirano area has a wide network of canals for irrigation purposes. The canals are ‘drained’ once a year during fall, and the crucian carp caught at this time are transformed into this dish. The dish is eaten dur...»
A must-have at traditional ‘Okunchi’ celebrations. It is eaten across the prefecture, however the Arita city style of serving this dish in a rectangular wooden dish during October ‘Okunchi’ celebrations is well-known....»