Hallo 🙂 Hanna です。

Arita’s biggest event of the year, the Arita Ceramic Fair (陶器市 – “Tokiichi”) will officially start tomorrow, April 29and end next Monday, May 5; again over a million visitors are expected to visit the town during that time! This is not only due to the many porcelain bargains that one can find around town (shops are mainly open 9am ~ 5pm), but also because of lots of events and special exhibitions that take place. And of course, this is also the only time of the year when the main street in Arita is closed to car traffic so that visitors can enjoy walking through this beautiful town.

Official pamphlet (in Japanese): http://www.arita.jp/pamphlet/data/02.pdf

Official homepage (in Japanese): http://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/

Here I have listed some of the main events:

The 111th Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition:

Exhibition of ceramic art and tableware from Japanese artists that won at this year`s KYUSHU YAMAGUCHI CERAMICS CONTEST

[Date & Time] April 29 ~ May 9, 9am ~ 5pm

[Places] Kyushu Ceramics Museum（九州陶磁文化館）; Arita Chamber of Industry and Commerce（有田商工会議所）

The Imari/ Arita Traditional Crafts Association Exhibition:

[Date & Time] April 29 ~ May 5, 9am ~ 5pm

[Place] Arita Chamber of Industry and Commerce

The Arita Ceramic Art Association Exhibition (有田陶芸協会展):

[Date & Time] April 29 ~ May 5, 9am ~ 5pm

[Place] Arita Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Traditional Shinto-festival at Touzan shrine (陶祖祭 – “Tousosai”):

Festival in memory of Ri Sampei, who succeeded in making porcelain for the first time in Arita

[Date & Time] May 4 (Mon.), 10am~ 11am

[Place] Touzan shrine

Kyuto Bazar with participating shops from Saga prefecture and performances by local artists

[Date & Time] April 29 ~ May 4, 10am~4pm

[Place] Kyushu Ceramics Museum（九州陶磁文化館）

Arita Ceramic Fair – opening parade

[Date & Time] April 29, from 9:30~

[Places] Starting point: Arita Chamber of Industry and Commerce, ending point: Arita Town Hall East Branch

Aritan Stamp Rally:

Collect 3 Aritan* stamps, fill out the stamp rally form, put it in one of the Stamp Rally-boxes around town and take part in a lottery to win awesome Aritan goods!

Stamp places (look for the Aritan-sign on the Porcelain Fair – map):

1. Kami-Arita station
2. Arita Chamber of Commerce and Industry
3. “Naka-no-gen” resting place (中の原休憩所)
4. Local dishes fair (Town Hall East Branch)
5. Arita station
6. Arita Wholesale Area (有田陶磁の里プラザ)

(*Aritan is Arita`s official mascot)

Fair with local dishes (ご当地グルメ) and agricultural products:

Here you can try all kinds of local specialties from in and around Saga prefecture (for example Arita`s popular deep-fried “curry bread” (カレーパン)

[Date & Time] 10am~ 4pm

[Place] Town Hall East Branch

Arita Ceramic Fair photo contest:

Enter with your “best shot” of this year`s fair and win great prizes! You can find the registration form and further information about the contest (in Japanese) here: http://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/allevent/111photcon1.pdf

[Entry Deadline] May 16

Facebook photo contest: Upload your best shot of the 2014 Ceramic Fair here: https://www.facebook.com/aritatoukiichi.photocon. The 10 users who get the most “like”-clicks win beautiful porcelain prices! More information( in Japanese): http://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/allevent/photocon1.html)

Table arrangements exhibitions:

Several shops** show their beautiful table arrangements using Arita-porcelain.

(**participating shops are marked by a green T-symbol on the Porcelain Fair map)

“Asa-gayu” (朝がゆ)- early bird-offer　in　Sarayama　district:　Starting　at　6am　every　morning　during　the　Ceramic　Fair　festival　we　offer Japanese rice porridge (お粥）for 500 Yen in a specially made ricebowl for the first 300 visitors arriving. You can even keep the rice bowl on which this year`s Chinese zodiac sign (horse) is painted, as a souvenir!

[Date & Time] April 29 ~ May 5, from 6am

[Place] Sarayama district (皿山通り)

…and many more!

To make your trip even more convenient, the town offers a free shuttle busservice during the Ceramic Fair; there are several bus routes that all start and end at Arita station and go to the following places:

1. Kami-Arita station / Izumiyama Quarry / Big gingko tree: 9am~6pm, every 20 minutes
2. Arita Ceramics Home Plaza (有田焼卸団地): 9am ~ 6pm, every 15 minutes
3. Porcelain park: 8:30am ~ 6pm, every 30 minutes
4. China on the Park: 9:20am ~ 4:20pm, every 30 minutes