Mashiko
From World travel guide
Mashiko (益子) is a rural town in Tochigi prefecture to the north of Tokyo, Japan.
Contents |
Understand
Mashiko is famous for precisely one thing: its pottery, known as Mashikoyaki (益子焼). Simple and homely in style, brown with maybe a little red glaze, these are worlds apart from the courtly ceramics of Kyoto but yet very Japanese. Mashikoyaki dates only to 1853, when a potter discovered that the clay here was ideal, but the style was popularized in 1930 when potter Shoji Hamada was designated as a Living National Treasure.
Get in
Any way you look at it, Mashiko is quite a hike from Tokyo.
By train
The fastest route is to take the JR Utsunomiya Line from Ueno to Oyama, which takes 42 min by Shinkansen or 82 min by normal train. Change here for the Mito line to Shimodate (21 min), then change yet again to the private Mōka Railway line to Mashiko (41 min). By normal train, the total cost is ¥2360 and the trip takes around three hours one way with transfer time factored in.
An alternative approach not much different in time or price is to take the JR Jōban line from Ueno to Toride, then change to the private Kantetsu-Jōsō line to Shimodate.
Note that the Mōka Railway runs steam locomotives once a day in each direction most weekends. As of February 2005, departure from Shimodate is at 10:36 and the return from Mashiko at 15:03. See the Moka Railway Fan Page [1] for details.
By bus
Another alternative is to take the train to Utsunomiya and continue from there by Toya bus directly to Mashiko. The bus stops are in front of the main entrance to the train station. Look for bus station number 14 to Mashiko. Buses leave approximately hourly, take one hour and cost ¥1100.
Get around
Mashiko is small enough to get around on foot, but sufficiently stretched out to make getting around a bit of hike, especially as the train station is a little inconveniently located at the far western end of the main street. You can rent bicycles at the train station to ease the pain.
See & Do
The town consists of little but pottery workshops, kilns and retail shops. The twice-yearly weeklong Pottery Markets (陶器市 Tōki-ichi) [2], held in April-May and November, are the best time to visit. All workshops in town set up stalls on the roadside and all stores large and small hold sales.
- Mashiko Sankōhan (益子参考館). Tel. 0285-72-5300, Sankohan-mae bus stop. Shoji Hamada's workshop and home turned museum, showcasing about 30 of his works as well as his private collection. Admission ¥800, open 9:30 AM to 4 PM daily except Monday; closed in February.
- Tōgei Messe Mashiko (陶芸メッセ益子). Tel. 0285-72-7555. A museum of ceramic arts, displaying works by Shoji Hamada and other potters, not only from Mashiko but around Japan. Admission ¥600, open from 9:30 PM to 4 PM daily except Wednesday.
Buy
The only thing to buy in Mashiko is, of course, the pottery. The main street from the station to the center of town is filled with shops and boutiques offering all kinds and all price levels of ceramics.
- Mashikoyaki Kyōhan Center (益子焼共販センター). Tel. 0285-72-4444. A cooperative sales center that sells works by most kilns in town at reasonable prices. Open daily from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
- Ikiru Kiln (生きる窯), 2858-2-2 Nanai, tel. +81-285-70-1263, email: lee@mashiko.org, [3]. Pottery and woodblock print workshop by transplants from Minnesota, in the "MingeiSota" tradition. Please email or phone before your visit.
- Harvey Young Pottery (ハービー ヤング 陶房), 3650-2 Oosawa, tel.0285-72-6484 (from outside Japan: +81-285-726484), [4]e-mail: h_young@beige.plala.or.jp A small handmade pottery workshop operated since 1984 by an American who first went to Mashiko in 1969 to study pottery making. Tableware, Kitchenware, Flower Arrangement ware. Visitors are welcome, by appointment.
Eat
Sleep
Many people make Mashiko a daytrip from Tokyo or go onto Nikko for the night, but there are also several Ryokan, Minshuku and Onsen to stay at in Mashiko.
Budget
- Tao Art Club, Potters Inn (益子陶芸倶楽部 Mashiko Tōgei Kurabu), tel. 0285-72-3866, fax 0285-72-4178, [5]. A traditional Minshuku style inn and also a pottery studio. Lodging only is ¥3500 a night. Studio use is extra. There are several kilns, including a wood fired noborigama. If you book during the week or "off peak" you might be able to stay in the Minka farmhouse, which has "Western" style toilets. If the Minka is full, you get placed in modern rooms. Large groups can be accomidated. It is located in a convenient spot. Fax first, Furuki-san can read English and then voice call to confirm.
Mid-range
- Minshuku Higeta Phone: 0285-72-2559
- Minshuku Furusato Phone: 0285-72-3156
- Minshuku Yamaji Phone: 0285-72-2525
- Minshuku Yamabiko Phone: 0285-72-1829
Splurge
- Okadaya Ryokan Phone: 0285-72-2016
- Hasegawa ryokan Phone: 0285-72-2210
- Shiraume-so Phone: 0285-72-6762
- Tozan-so Phone: 0285-72-2063
- Ohkawado Kozen Spa Phone: 0285-72-4546
- Business Hotel Toyoda Phone: 0285-68-4500
The following are all onsen (hot spring) hotels.
- Kur Mashiko 21 Phone: 0285-72-8100
- Hotel Sunshine Mashiko-kan Phone: 0285-72-7777
- Mashiko Onsen HotelPhone: 0285-72-7011
Contact
Mashiko's tourism office, tel. 0285-72-8846 and open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM, is located at the train station. They can arrange pottery classes for you if call in advance.
Get out
- The shrines and parks of Nikko are within easy striking distance of Mashiko.
External links
- Mashiko Hometown Homepage (unofficial, in English)
- Mashiko Town (in Japanese)
- Mashiko Tourism Association (in Japanese)
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