Gojō-zaka Tōki Matsuri｜陶器まつり

The Gojō-zaka Tōki Matsuri was started back in the early Taishō era and has grown to become one of the largest pottery fairs in Japan.  Sprawling five blocks from Gojō-zaka Street in the Higashiyama area, hundreds of different vendors gather for this event in order to sell their wares. 

Though kilns are now located outside the city for environmental reasons, many pottery stores with generations-long histories set up shop on Gojō-zaka.  Kyoto style pottery is famous in Japan for its quality, and even a low-end piece can be somewhat expensive, but during these four days you can find yourself some decent deals if you know where to look. 

Established during the Obon season in order to take advantage of the influx of visitors to the city’s temples, many shops use this as a way to sell stock with imperfections or sell off surplus inventory to make way for a new year of firing.  With the high quality and skill artisans have in this area, even pottery that has a flaw is still quite nice and sometimes not even noticeable.

Ranging in style from classic blue-on-white tea sets to earthy glazed plates to funky new age coffee mugs, traditional, established shops set up alongside young up-and-coming pottery artists.  In one stall you may find small plates for less than 100 yen, and at the next, ancient sake cups for over 600,000 yen. 

For those interested in the arts or just getting a good deal while stocking your china cabinet, the Tōki Matsuri is your chance to save!