You can read the first part here.

After making my way from one end of the village to the other, I decided to take a break for lunch. There are only a few cafes in the village, and not all of them were open, so if you’ve got picky eaters with you, I’d recommend having lunch before coming here. But, you should definitely take a tea break in one of the cafes, because it’s a great way to try some of the pottery!

The front part is the shop and there were SO MANY TEAPOTS.

I really, really, wanted to get a set but I just got that Lupicia teapot/jug combi that I use a lot, so it wouldn’t make sense to get more.

They were also selling light switches, which I found to be really pretty as well!

While I normally only take one or two photos of my food, I took individual photos of each dish because everything was in such pretty containers (except my orange juice, which was in a glass and hence does not get a photo). This is the cup for water:

And I didn’t even know wet tissues got their own containers! It also looks like a good size for dessert forks and spoons.

If you need toothpicks:

I could totally see this as a sort of pencil holder as well (although if it was mine I’d probably break it in a week…)

This was on the table next to me and I found it absolutely adorable! It just goes to show that pottery can be fun too.

I got a prawn pilaf which came with a cup of soup. It was 550 yen for the pilaf and soup, which I thought was pretty reasonable.

And because I really, really, wanted to drink something in a porcelain cup, I ordered a glass of tea as well. The tea was supposed to come in a glass as well, but the ladies at the shop will change it to a porcelain cup for you if you ask. Or if you drink coffee, you could just order that and save yourself the extra step:

I really like how the coaster matches!

After lunch, I started heading back to the entrance of the village, using a different route.

This bridge is the Tonbai bridge.

I’m not sure why there is pottery in the walls lining the river but I couldn’t resist getting a closer look! And then promptly got chased away by a bee.

I think this spot would be absolutely breathtaking in autumn, when the momiji leaves are red!

Also, I find it really cute that even the sign for the restroom is made out of pottery.

There’s a viewing area as well, but the view is not great. The most interesting thing was this wall, so I wouldn’t really recommend going to this area. You could just walk around the kilns some more (apparently Okawachiyama is also known as the ‘village of secret kilns’ because it’s surrounded by mountains).

I’m not sure why but I really liked the light here. Of course, my picture does not do it justice at all.

I also saw one of the stepped kilns! According to the guide, these kilns are built in a style resembling the kilns in Jingdezhen (pronounced “Keitokuchin” in Japanese. The kanji is 景德镇). These kilns were used to make porcelain for shoguns and emperors!

After a while, I found myself back at the carpark that I parked in! This village is definitely a good place to wander around in(:

Next (and last) post: the Imari-Arita ware traditional craft center + I try painting a cup.