Discover Japan's Enchanting Artisan Villages

Local farmers inhabit traditional houses with steep thatched roofs and practice silk cultivation in the upper floors.

This village has produced high-quality Nabeshima ceramics for Japanese feudal lords since the 17th century.

Craftsmen have created fine wood carvings here for centuries, decorating temples and traditional buildings.

The local pottery workshops produce porcelain with green, blue, yellow, purple, and red glazes.

A center of Japanese pottery craft with over 380 workshops producing traditional ceramics following methods established by Shoji Hamada.

This town houses over 250 pottery workshops and a modern art museum that regularly exhibits local craftwork.

A traditional metal crafting center since 1611, known for bronze bells, tea ceremony utensils and decorative metalwork.

An area with centuries of woodworking tradition where craftsmen process cedar for temples and traditional houses.

This town has produced traditional lacquerware using the Wajima Nuri technique since the 14th century, applying multiple layers of red and black resin.

The region produces handmade paper using a 1300-year-old method that incorporates mulberry tree bark.

The papermakers of this region have produced handmade washi from local plant fibers using traditional methods for 1500 years.

This town processes local hinoki cypress wood into traditional furniture and objects since the Edo period.

The center of Japanese woodworking, where craftsmen have created furniture and buildings from local timber for centuries.

A cultural center for traditional Japanese dances, where people gather from across Japan during summer.

The potters of this village have produced handmade ceramics using traditional techniques since the 17th century.

This village started porcelain production in 1616 and became Japan's first porcelain manufacturing center.

A traditional craft center known since the 6th century for its unglazed pottery with natural iron oxide discolorations.