Touching the Earth, Walking in Kimono, and Tasting the Culture of the Southern Region: A Report on the "Southern Region Leisurely Pottery Journey"
Hello. This is the Public Relations Department of Gacchi Inc.
We are a trading company and manufacturer specializing in promoting the charm of traditional Japanese crafts to the world. We were started by Takeshi Matsunaga, the 4th generation of Matsunaga Kiln, which produces "Obori Soma Ware," a nationally designated traditional craft produced in Namie Town, Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture. We deliver stories about the businesses we work with and the members who work at Gacchi Inc.
Located in the southern part of Fukushima Prefecture, the Ken-nan (Southern) region is dotted with culture born from the history of the land and the lives of its people, including pottery, gardens, tea ceremony, kimono, and food. Connecting these into a single journey was the experiential tour "Southern Region Leisurely Pottery Journey," held in the autumn of 2025.
Organized by the Nishigo Village Regional Manufacturing Association, it was held twice: a day trip on October 22nd and an overnight trip from November 7th to 8th. In this article, focusing on the record photos from October 22nd, we will introduce the flow of a day where you not only "see" the culture of the southern region but experience it with your own hands, as well as the results seen from the two demonstrations.
Turning scattered culture into a continuous journey
When you travel through the southern region, you can encounter various cultures such as Obori Soma Ware kilns, Nanko Park associated with Sadanobu Matsudaira, the lord of the Shirakawa Domain, tea ceremony, kimono, and Shirakawa ramen. Even if each one is attractive, visiting them individually can sometimes make it difficult to see the connections of the land that nurtured them or the figures of the current practitioners.
The "Southern Region Leisurely Pottery Journey" edited the region's cultural resources into a single itinerary. Touching the earth at a kiln, gathering around local food, changing into a kimono, and walking through a historic garden. By layering experiences, we aimed to have participants feel the region not as a list of tourist spots, but as a place where people and culture are connected.
The target audience was residents living outside the prefecture, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and foreigners interested in Japanese culture. A total of 8 people participated in the two tours, all of whom visited from outside Fukushima Prefecture.
The first stage is the kiln. Learning about Obori Soma Ware
The tour on October 22nd began at an Obori Soma Ware kiln. In front of the displayed vessels, participants received an explanation about the production area, techniques, and current craftsmanship.
Obori Soma ware is a type of pottery that has been passed down primarily in the Obori district of Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture. Due to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, the potters were forced to evacuate and relocate. Since then, they have resumed production in various locations, continuing efforts to connect their techniques with the memories of their home region.
During the tour, we set aside time to hear not only about the finished vessels but also about their background directly from the creators. Before viewing crafts simply as 'things to buy,' we learn where, by whom, and how they have been passed down. That is the gateway to this journey.
Watching the artisan's hands and shaping the clay with your own
Next, we experienced pottery making at Matsunaga Kiln and Ikariya Kiln. The artisan demonstrated how to handle the clay, and each participant took a turn at making a vessel.
The softness of the clay and the difficulty of shaping it, which cannot be understood just by listening to explanations, can only be truly felt by moving your own hands. With advice from the artisan, the participants shaped their vessels and added patterns to the surfaces.
Even when using the same materials, the shape changes depending on how you move your hands. By placing the process shown by the artisan alongside the process tried by the participants, it became a space to convey both the mastery of the technique and the joy of craftsmanship.
After the experience, we provided an opportunity to view and purchase works at local shops. When you look at the products again after having worked with your hands, your eyes are drawn to the meaning behind the lines, thickness, and finish of the vessels. By making the experience and the shopping a single flow, we enabled participants to carry their relationship with the craft back home with them.
Learning about Shirakawa's food culture during the itinerary
After pottery, we moved on to Shirakawa's food culture. The tour incorporated Shirakawa ramen and Koban Sushi into the schedule, allowing participants to experience food that has been passed down through the region.
A meal is more than just a stop during travel. It is a place to visit local shops, experience the work of the staff, and exchange information with other participants walking the same path. The performance report confirms that in addition to spending at restaurants, the experience led to further actions within the region, such as purchasing pottery works.
By integrating cultural experiences and meals into the daily timeline rather than keeping them as separate programs, the structure allowed participants to feel how crafts, daily life, and food are all rooted in the same land.
Changing into kimono and walking through Nanko Park
In the afternoon, we changed into kimono and headed to Nanko Park. Nanko was built in 1801 by Matsudaira Sadanobu, the lord of the Shirakawa Domain, based on the philosophy of "shared enjoyment for samurai and commoners." It was created as a place where people could enjoy themselves regardless of social status, and it continues to be passed down today as a historical and cultural resource representing Shirakawa.
Participants walked through the gardens and along the lakeshore, and experienced a tea ceremony at Suirakuen. By experiencing kimono, tea ceremony, and gardens in the same place, one can perceive not just individual manners or buildings, but also the gestures of using vessels, the way spaces are created, and the relationship with the seasons as a single culture.
Making vessels with one's own hands in the morning, and seeing those vessels used in a tea ceremony in the afternoon. By placing the pottery experience and the tea ceremony experience in the same itinerary, the connection was made to the role that vessels play in daily life.
Going beyond the experience to connect with local shops
The tour itinerary includes time to visit local shops, not just workshops and gardens. By picking up works, learning about local products, and listening to explanations from shop staff, we enabled participants to increase their points of contact with the region according to their own interests.
The purpose of the project is not just to hold an event within a limited time. It is to create relationships where visitors consume in the region, follow on social media, and are led to future visits or purchases. During the tour, actual purchases of works and social media follows occurred, showing the potential to connect not only with the exchange population but also with a "related population" that continues to engage with the region afterward.
217,844 impressions reached and two demonstration sessions held
A total of 8 people participated in the two sessions held on October 22 and November 7-8, 2025. The breakdown was 5 Japanese nationals and 3 foreign nationals, and all participants, including the foreign nationals, were residents from outside Fukushima Prefecture.
For publicity, in addition to social media advertising, we invited overseas travel influencers. The total number of impressions for the posts reached 217,844, exceeding the initial goal of 200,000. The satisfaction level in the participant surveys was 4 or 5 out of 5 for all respondents.
On the other hand, having information reach a wide audience is not the same as leading to actual bookings and participation. In the performance report, the fact that the number of participants fell below the initial plan is also organized as a challenge. Additionally, there was room for improvement in interpretation and multilingual guidance for foreign participants, as well as in responding to weather and seasonal conditions for outdoor itineraries.
In this project, we were able to confirm not only the results but also the points that need to be corrected next time. Gatch Inc. is in charge of investigating subsidy systems related to this project.
A Journey of Staying, Changing with the Seasons and Themes
In the next phase, we plan to clarify themes according to the season and participants' interests, and establish a multilingual guide and interpretation system. At the same time, we aim to create a sustainable tourism model by considering participation fee structures, high-value-added plans, and stay-based programs that incorporate accommodations.
The "Southern Prefecture Leisurely Pottery Journey" connected more than just tourist spots. It linked artisans and participants, pottery and the tea ceremony, history and the present, and experiences and local consumption, all within a single day's journey. The memory of touching the earth and the time spent walking through the gardens will lead to future visits and recommendations to others. These two demonstration projects served as an initiative to create that gateway.
(text: Gatch Inc. Public Relations Department / photo: Project Record Photos)
Gatch Inc. provides services for creating tourism content utilizing local resources, researching subsidy systems, and supporting public relations and marketing. Please feel free to contact us.