On a previous trip to Nagoya, we were headed back to Central Japan International Airport. At the last stop before the airport at Tokoname, we noticed a giant Maneki Neko (Beckoning Cat) head off in the distance. Quickly, we marked the spot and knew we had to visit in the near future. We didn’t know this was part of the famous pottery footpath in Tokoname.
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The pottery footpath in Tokoname started in 1972. But Tokoname has been famous for making pottery since the Heian Period around 794 – 1185. In fact, Tokoname is considered one of the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan. The other Ancient Kilns of Japan include Bizen, Echizen, Seto, Shigaraki, and Tanba. Kilns in these towns have made pottery for hundreds if not thousands of years. In 2017, the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan were listed as a Heritage Site in Japan.
In Tokoname, the kilns, pottery merchants, and other attractions were all in a specific area, so for tourism in 1972, the path was created so visitors could have a chance to view all of the points of interests related to Tokoname and the ancient kiln.
Manekineko Street and Tokonyan
The Pottery Footpath is a short walk from the Tokoname Station. Before getting to the actual start of the foot path, visitors will need to walk Manekineko Street. This street is lined with nearly 40 beckoning cats created by artists. Tokoname is the hometown of the Manekineko or lucky beckoning cat.
Jill and I began our adventure on Manekineko Street. There were several silly manekineko statues on small pedestals.
After taking photos of the fun manekineko’s on the pedestals we walked down the famous Manekineko Street. This street had several beckoning cats alongside the wall. Each statue was different and brought good luck in various ways, for instance, Prayer for families or safe travels.
Tokonyan
Tokonyan is a gigantic Beckoning Cat above Manekineko Street. This is the Beckoning Cat we originally saw from the Tokoname train station. Tokonyan is 3.8 meters tall and 6.3 meters wide.
Walking the Pottery Footpath in Tokoname
After walking through and taking pictures of Manekineko Street, we started the actual Pottery Footpath. I had no idea what to expect, but I didn’t think the path would be very long and there would be little to see. Like most attractions in Japan, I was wrong.
The Pottery Footpath consists of two trails, Course A and Course B. Course A is the more popular route and was 1.6 km long while Course B was a longer trail at 4.0 km.
We arrived here in the early evening and took the Course A Footpath which starts and ends near Tokonyan. Although, you can enter the path wherever you want, we found the starting point near Tokonyan to make the most sense.
Highlights along Course A included many local pottery shops, the climbing kilns, workshops, and other fun art displays.
The footpath was well marked and winded through narrow alley ways with historic homes and shops on either side. One of the more popular locations along the footpath was Dokanzaka. Dokanzaka is a short section of the trail and the sides of the trail were lined with sake barrels, pipes, and broken ceramics.
Since it was later in the day when we explored the Tokoname Footpath, there were hardly any people on the trail. Unfortunately, most shops were closed, but there were a few shops that we managed to pop in before closing.
Course A was only 1.6 km, but we took a solid 1.5 – 2 hours to walk it because there was so much to see and photograph. A lot of random works of pottery were displayed out in the open especially in front of some of the shops. Below are some of the cute pottery figures we spotted while walking Tokoname’s footpath.
Conclusion
If you ever find yourself flying into Nagoya. Take the train a couple of stops to Tokoname and walk the pottery footpath. This attraction blew our expectations. Both Jill and I were surprised by how long the footpath was and with all the attractions and cute pottery statues everywhere. Next time we visit Tokoname, we plan on doing the 4.0 km Course B footpath and maybe attend a workshop class to make our very own pottery.
There are cheap hotels nearby, after all it’s close to the airport, so maybe plan for a half day here if interested. We stayed at the Hotel Route Inn which was within walking distance to both the train station and footpath.
Jill loved Manekineko Street and all the random cat sculptures around the path, of course she had to take Manekineko photos.
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