Mashiko
Kanto, Japan · Town / small city
Kanto's best-known pottery town: Jonaizaka street, lined with Mashiko-yaki pottery workshops and shops, the Ceramic Art Messe (which includes the original kiln of potter Shoji Hamada, who put the town on the map in the early 20th century), two annual pottery fairs (Golden Week and early November), and Saimyoji Temple with its five-story pagoda from the 16th century.
The essentials
Getting there
Train — Shinkansen Tokyo-Utsunomiya (¥5,000, ~50min) + direct bus to Mashiko (~1h, ¥1,170, only one bus per hour). For anyone based in Utsunomiya, the same bus covers the whole trip in 1h for ¥1,170, much cheaper and more direct than a round trip from Tokyo. Alternative via local train through Oyama-Shimodate and the private Mooka Railway (~1h40, ¥1,110), slower and with more transfers.
Frequently asked questions about Mashiko
How many days do you need in Mashiko?
1 day minimum for it to be worth it. There are 21 documented activities in Mashiko, so it keeps giving with more time.
How do you get to Mashiko?
Train: Shinkansen Tokyo-Utsunomiya (¥5,000, ~50min) + direct bus to Mashiko (~1h, ¥1,170, only one bus per hour). For anyone based in Utsunomiya, the same bus covers the whole trip in 1h for ¥1,170, much cheaper and more direct than a round trip from Tokyo. Alternative via local train through Oyama-Shimodate and the private Mooka Railway (~1h40, ¥1,110), slower and with more transfers.
Can you visit Mashiko in a day?
Yes. Mashiko works well as a day trip, usually from Tokyo, Utsunomiya and Daigo (Fukuroda Falls), with no need to change accommodation.
What must you see in Mashiko?
What is marked as a must-see: Jonaizaka Street.
Is Mashiko expensive?
Spend level mid by Japanese standards. Factor in the per-night tourist tax as well, which varies from city to city.
What to do in Mashiko: 21 activities
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Jonaizaka Street 2.5 h must-see
The town's main street, lined with Mashiko-yaki pottery workshops and shops, with vendor stalls and visitable kilns.
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Ceramic Art Messe Mashiko 1.5 h
A museum complex including the original kiln and studio of potter Shoji Hamada, who moved his workshop to Mashiko in the early 20th century and put the town on the international map.
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Shoji Hamada's house and kilns (Sankokan) 1.5 h
House, collection and climbing kilns of Shoji Hamada, Living National Treasure and leader of the mingei movement alongside the Briton Bernard Leach: the core of why Mashiko is Mashiko.
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The laughing Enma of Saimyo-ji and the Bando pilgrimage 1 h
Saimyo-ji is stop number 20 on the Bando pilgrimage of the 33 Kannon and holds the only smiling Enma in Japan: the judge of hell, laughing.
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Wheel-throwing workshop at a pottery 2 h booking
Shape and glaze your own piece of Mashiko-yaki with a potter in his own workshop; several potteries offer it from about 4,400 yen.
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Bike route among potteries and rice paddies 2.5 h
Pedaling from kiln to kiln along satoyama lanes as far as the Ogodo dam, the best way to see the workshops that lie off the main street.
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Day bathing at the Mashiko onsen 1.5 h
The hot spring complex on the outskirts opens its stone-walled outdoor bath to day visitors, with no need to stay overnight.
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Higeta indigo dyeworks 1 h
Nine generations dyeing with vats of fermented indigo sunk into the floor, a workshop alive since the Edo period that almost nobody associates with Mashiko.
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Kamiyama sunflower field 1.5 h only August, during the blossom
Close to a million sunflowers in August facing the hills of the pottery town, with a festival of its own.
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Mashiko Gion Matsuri 3 h only 23-25 Jul
From July 23 to 25, floats from six neighbourhoods and the Omiki Chodai rite, considered one of the three strangest festivals in Kanto.
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Mashiko no Mori nature park 1.5 h
Twenty minutes uphill to a viewpoint taking in the whole pottery valley and its kilns.
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Mashiko roadside station 1 h
Garden produce, local ceramics at lower prices than on the main street, and a canteen using vegetables from the district.
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Pottery fair (Toukiichi) 2 h only Golden Week and early November
Two major annual fairs (Golden Week in late April-early May, and early November) with hundreds of potters' stalls; only available on those specific dates.
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Saimyoji Temple 1 h
A temple with a five-story pagoda from the 16th century, one of the few historic buildings of its kind in Tochigi Prefecture.
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Starnet, contemporary mingei 1.5 h
Shop and cafe set in a farmhouse that reinterprets folk craft in contemporary terms; a reference point in Japanese design today.
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Steam train on the Moka line 2 h booking
At weekends a C12 steam locomotive runs the Moka line to Mashiko, one of the few still in regular service in Japan.
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Strawberry picking in the greenhouses 1.5 h booking
The district concentrates dozens of strawberry greenhouses open from December to May, the largest such operation in northern Kanto.
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Tonoike sake brewery 1.5 h booking
Guided visit and tasting at the town's sake brewery, with advance booking.
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Tsuna and Okura shrines 1 h
Two Muromachi-period shrines with thatched roofs in a silent forest, both Important Cultural Properties and virtually without visitors.
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Jizo-in and the Entsu-ji gate 1 h
An Amida hall mixing three architectural styles and a zen gate from 1402 with an enormous eave, hidden among rice paddies.
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Pejite, vintage furniture and ceramics 1 h
Warehouse of salvaged antique Japanese furniture and ceramics, on the same circuit of design shops in the town.
What only happens on specific dates
- Pottery fair (Toukiichi) Golden Week and early November
- Mashiko Gion Matsuri 23-25 Jul
- Kamiyama sunflower field August, during the blossom
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