Looking for your new favorite cup or dish? You could find something just right at Ceramics and Porcelain Fair 2011 in Fukuoka.
Some 200,000 works of ceramics and porcelain made by 200 pottery studios from across Japan will be exhibited and sold at the fair, which will be held at Marine Messe in Fukuoka City through March 21. Among the works from Kyushu are colorful Arita-yaki porcelain ware from Saga Prefecture, and blue and white Mikawachi-yaki ceramics from Nagasaki Prefecture. The traditions on which they are based date back to the 17th century.
The annual ceramics and porcelain event started in the city in 1999. The prices of the tableware sold at the fair vary, but the most popular works fetch up to ¥3,000, according to the organizer.
The fair also hosts various events, including a pottery workshop where visitors can use a pottery wheel. Adults as well as children aged three and up can join in. The works you make will be baked for a fee of ¥1,200 plus delivery.
Other attractions are a cooking and a food-arrangement class taught by Chizue Yamagiwa, a popular chef who teaches on TV, and live ikebana flower arranging in ceramic or porcelain vases performed by local Fukuoka ikebana artists. The fair will also boast a selection of foods from all around Japan.
Ceramics and Porcelain Fair 2011 will be held until March 21 (10 a.m. till 6 p.m.; 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. on March 21) at Marine Messe in Fukuoka City, located an 18-minute bus ride from JR Hakata Station or a 13-minute bus ride from Tenjin Station. Admission is ¥500. For more information, visit www.tojikifair.jp.
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