A friend invited me out of the blue, so I went to the Toki Mino-yaki Festival on May 4.
This was the 46th edition, held May 3–5, 2022 — only three days. As announced on the website, there was no shuttle bus from Toki Station, so everyone seemed to be coming by car.
I went without doing any homework beforehand, and it was incredibly crowded. A pottery festival, this packed?! But walking around the venue was great fun, and even people who don’t know much about ceramics can enjoy it.
What is the Mino-yaki Festival?
The most fitting description is a festival where Mino ware is sold all at once, everywhere.
Wherever you walk: pottery, pottery, pottery!!!
Along with food stalls, knives, and glassware, there was far more than just tableware — ornaments, accessories, and plenty of other appealing items.
Prices ranged from expensive pieces to deeply discounted bargains, so it’s a truly great place if you have a particular dish in mind.
There are apparently famous potters and brands too; a quick Google search turns up Instagram accounts and roundup blogs.
My personal impression was that Mino ware (though this isn’t unique to Mino ware) has a strong association with Japanese-style tableware. I was after Western-style pieces at the time and worried I wouldn’t find any, but there was plenty of Western-style tableware as well. There were even dishes that made me go, “Wait, they make this too?!” It’s fun just to look, and a place where you can find a favorite piece.
Conditions and schedule on May 4
I left Nagoya around 10 a.m. and headed to Toki on local roads.
As I got close, there was a 4-kilometer traffic jam leading to the venue parking lot.
It was so congested that I couldn’t get into the lot — I arrived nearby at 11:30 but only actually parked at 12:50.
(Some people apparently arrive the day before or head out first thing in the morning. Leaving Nagoya early enough to reach Toki in the morning is pretty tough…)
The venue is quite large, with so many shops that two hours wasn’t enough to see it all.
The parking lot is the TOTO factory lot rented out for the event, so it’s spacious with plenty of capacity.
The venue is enormous, but there are relatively few vending machines or places selling drinks, so I’d recommend bringing your own.
If it’s sunny, you’ll be walking around in real heat and risk heatstroke.
There’s little shade, and it takes a lot out of you.
The individual shops set up under tents have distinctive plates, cups, and ornaments, mostly priced around 1,000 to 3,000 yen.
Pricier items can run over 5,000 yen.
The large-scale shops set up in warehouse-like spaces were very cheap — some items started at 100 yen apiece.
Even the cheap ones have perfectly good designs, and they’re genuine pottery.
Being able to get Mino ware at those prices is a real treat.
The solo-artist booths carry a lot of distinctive tableware, so I thought they’d be great not just for yourself but as gifts for friends and family.
What I personally loved was the abundance of factory seconds.
These are pieces with small flaws from production — minor scratches or uneven glazing — and even when the defect is tiny, they’re sold at very low prices.
Some of the flaws are in places that don’t affect durability and even start to look like character, so I picked up nicely designed tableware for very little.
In the end I bought a large black board-like plate, two blue cups, and a coffee roaster (a ceramic one that roasts with far-infrared heat, I think).
I want to go again next year.
Who would I recommend it to?
If you’ve just moved and need dishes, if you’re really into tableware, or if you have a specific piece in mind, it’s a great opportunity and I’d definitely recommend it.
Even if you’re not into tableware, you’ll gradually get interested and come across things that make you think, “Oh! I might want this.” (The friend I went with had zero interest, but ended up buying something in the end.) So it’s worth a visit.
That said, it gets extremely crowded, so go with some kind of plan — or stock up on snacks in the car and just inch along!!
The convenience stores along the way aren’t much help…