Bizen Pottery Village of Inbe Walking Course

Bizen ware is fired with only clay and flame, using no glaze. It is counted among Japan's six ancient kilns and has a history spanning nearly a thousand years. This one day course lets you search for your own piece in Inbe, a town lined with kilns.

Course Route

10:00 Start at Inbe Station Inbe Station on the JR Ako Line has Bizen ware displays and a local goods corner inside the building, so you can get a feel for the works before walking the town. Plan your route from here.

10:30 Bizen Pottery Traditional Industry Hall At the hall right beside the station, works by many artists are gathered together, and you can study the history and techniques of Bizen ware carefully. Pieces that catch your eye can be purchased on the spot.

11:30 Stroll along the kiln street Walk the street dotted with the brick chimneys of climbing kilns and peek into kilns and galleries that catch your eye. Distinctive workshops hidden in narrow lanes are part of Inbe's charm.

12:30 Lunch at a local shop Take a break with a set meal or cafe menu served on Bizen ware. The same dish can feel different depending on the vessel it is served in.

14:00 Choose a piece and try pottery Finish by picking a favorite vessel or trying a hands on wheel or hand building experience. Pieces made in a workshop are usually fired later and can be received by mail.

Highlights

The greatest appeal is unglazed stoneware, each piece with a different expression. Natural effects known as kiln change and sesame markings appear, so no two are ever alike. The color and luster deepen the more the piece is used, a quality unique to Bizen ware.

Access and Tips

Inbe Station on the JR Ako Line is the starting point itself. The kilns gather around the station and can be visited on foot. From JR Okayama Station it is about forty minutes on the Ako Line. If you buy pieces to carry home, cushioning and a bag are reassuring to have.

A Quick Tip

At some kilns the artists serve you directly. Hearing them talk about the clay and firing makes choosing a vessel much more enjoyable.

Practical Travel Notes

• The starting point, Inbe Station, is on the JR Ako Line, about forty minutes by local train from JR Okayama Station. There is a Bizen ware display and local goods corner inside the station building.
• Kilns and galleries each keep their own hours and days off, and some workshops close irregularly. It is reassuring to check the opening days of any kiln you especially want to visit in advance.
• Pottery experiences are often by reservation, and pieces you make are generally received later after firing, either in person or by mail such as cash on delivery. Duration and fees vary by workshop.
• Unglazed stoneware breaks easily, so when buying, ask to have it wrapped in cushioning and carry it as hand luggage.
• The annual Bizen Ware Festival is held each autumn, when many kilns line up their works at special prices and the whole town comes alive. Dates change from year to year, so please check official information.

Practical Information for Your Visit

The basics of this route (time required and getting around)

• The kilns and galleries of Inbe are clustered around JR Inbe Station and can be toured on foot. Allowing a full day gives you room to choose pottery and try a hands-on ceramics session.
• About 40 minutes from JR Okayama Station on a local train on the Ako Line. By car it is about 15 minutes from Bizen IC or Wake IC on the Sanyo Expressway.

Opening hours and closing days of each facility

• The Bizen Pottery Traditional Industry Hall is currently undergoing renovation work. Because of the work, the Bizen Yaki Toyukai exhibition and sales floor that was on the second floor has temporarily moved to the Furusato Koryu Center at the south exit of Inbe Station (1681 Inbe, Bizen City), where it has been open since April 1, 2026. It is open from Wednesday to Monday, 10:00-17:00, and closed on Tuesdays (open when Tuesday is a public holiday, closing the following day instead).
• Bizen City Museum of Art (formerly the Bizen City Bizen Pottery Museum, 1659-6 Inbe, Bizen City): 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed on Mondays (open when Monday is a public holiday, closing the following day instead) and over the New Year period (December 29 to January 3).
• Individual kilns and galleries vary in both their opening hours and closing days, and some workshops close irregularly. If there is a kiln you want to visit, it is reassuring to check its opening days in advance.

Guide to prices

• Bizen City Museum of Art: 500 yen general admission, 300 yen for high school and university students, free for junior high school students and younger (for groups of 20 or more, 400 yen general and 200 yen for high school and university students). Special exhibitions may have a separate viewing fee. Exhibition Room 0 and the history exhibition room on the first floor are free to view.
• Visiting the kilns and galleries themselves is free at most places, so your spending will mainly go on buying pottery and on hands-on ceramics sessions.
• The price and duration of hands-on pottery making (hand-forming clay) differ from workshop to workshop. As a rough guide, allow about an hour.

Access

• Inbe Station on the JR Ako Line is the starting point. The Bizen Pottery Traditional Industry Hall is in the same building as JR Inbe Station, and the Bizen City Museum of Art is also just a short walk from the station.
• The temporary location, the Furusato Koryu Center, is at the south exit of Inbe Station.

Parking

• The car park at the Bizen Pottery Traditional Industry Hall has 28 spaces for ordinary cars and 8 for large vehicles, plus 1 EV rapid charging station.
• The Bizen City Museum of Art has 6 spaces (with temporary car parks nearby).
• If you are visiting the Toyukai's temporary shop, use the Bizen City Paid Car Park at the south exit of Inbe Station (according to the Toyukai's information, spaces 1 to 5 are for that shop).

What needs to be booked

• Almost all workshops require reservations for hands-on ceramics sessions such as hand-forming clay. The pottery-making experience run by the Bizen Yaki Toyukai also requires a reservation by telephone in advance.
• You cannot take the piece you make home with you on the day. It is usual to collect it later after firing, or to have it posted (typically cash on delivery). Allow for this in your travel plans.

Points to note and safety

• As the Bizen Pottery Traditional Industry Hall is under renovation, which areas and services are available changes depending on when you visit. Be sure to check the latest information before you set out.
• On the days of the Bizen Pottery Festival (usually the third Saturday and Sunday of October) the whole town is extremely crowded and the car parks fill up. Public transport is recommended.
• Unglazed stoneware breaks if you drop it. Ask for it to be wrapped in protective material when you buy it, and carry it as hand luggage.
• The grounds of the kilns double as working areas. Follow the signs marking off-limits areas and do not touch the pieces without permission.

* The information given may change. Please check the official websites for the latest information before you set out.

(Sources: Okayama Prefecture Bizen Pottery Toyukai Cooperative official website / Okayama Kanko WEB (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation) / as of July 2026)