Kasama Roman 2026 | Three Days of Food and Craft, Not Himatsuri
The autumn pottery fair in Kasama is Kasama Roman. It runs from Saturday 10 to Monday 12 October 2026, at Kasama Art Forest Park in Ibaraki Prefecture. This is the 15th edition.
Kasama holds two pottery fairs a year. The Himatsuri over Golden Week, and Kasama Roman in autumn. They use the same park, but they are quite different in character.
Where the Himatsuri is a large pottery fair gathering some 200 stalls, Kasama Roman is an event that sets food alongside craft. It is not only ware: local food takes part in the same grounds.
Dates for Kasama Roman 2026
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 (Sat) - 12 (Mon, holiday) October 2026 / three days |
| Edition | 15th |
| Venue | Kasama Art Forest Park |
| Organiser | Kasama Tourism Association |
12 October is Sports Day. The whole three-day weekend is the fair, so it is easy to come on the day that suits you.
Several events running in Kasama Art Forest Park
Over the three days of Kasama Roman, four events run at once in the same park. Each has its own organiser and its own site, and together they bring more than 100 stalls. Entry is free.
| Event | Hours | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Kasama Roman | 9:00-17:00 | Kasama ware, woodcraft, Kasama chestnuts, farm produce, food |
| Tezukuri no Mori Marche | 9:00-17:00 | Event plaza. Handmade work and workshops |
| CRAFT GATHERING | 9:00-16:00 | Kasama Craft Hills. Craft makers exhibiting |
| Big Band Picnic | From 9:30 | Outdoor stage. Live big band music |
Do bring a picnic sheet. Choose ware in the morning, put what you bought in the car, and spend the afternoon sitting on the grass listening to the music. This programme is what people mean when they call Kasama Roman an event you stay at.
Entry is free (some hands-on activities are paid). There is parking for around 1,200 cars, but it costs 500 yen per car per day. The park also has Asobi no Mori for children and Murasaki Park Kasama for skateboarding and BMX, so a family can spend the whole day here.
How it differs from the Himatsuri
As for how it differs from the spring Himatsuri: where the Himatsuri is a large fair of some 200 stalls of kilns and studio potters, Kasama Roman is an event that sets food alongside craft. Spending three days taking in culture unhurried, in autumn weather, is what marks Kasama Roman out.
If you want to choose ware from a great many makers, the spring Himatsuri; if you want to spend the day slowly, in weather that lives up to the word roman, Kasama Roman.
| Item | Spring: Kasama Himatsuri | Autumn: Kasama Roman |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 29 April - 5 May every year | The three-day weekend in early October |
| Scale | Over 200 stalls. Kasama's largest | Over 100 stalls across four events |
| Entry | 500 yen a day (free under 18) | Free (parking 500 yen a day) |
| Character | Hunting for ware. Chosen by the number of makers | Food and craft. Somewhere to stay a while |
If you want to choose from many makers, the Himatsuri; if you want an unhurried day, Kasama Roman. Neither is better than the other; their purposes differ.
Getting to Kasama Art Forest Park
| How | Route |
|---|---|
| Train | JR Mito Line, Kasama station. On foot or by bus from there |
| From Tokyo | JR Joban Line, change to the Mito Line at Tomobe |
| By car | Kita-Kanto Expressway, Tomobe or Kasama-Nishi IC |
Kasama Art Forest Park is a large park with plenty of parking, so you should have no trouble finding a space. The middle day of the three-day weekend does fill up, though. Arriving early in the morning is the surer plan.
About Kasama
Kasama ware began in the middle of the Edo period, under the guidance of a potter from Shigaraki. It started as a region making everyday goods, jars and grinding bowls.
What characterises Kasama now is that it has no fixed style you could point to and call Kasama ware. The constraints of the region are loose, and after the war makers moved here from all over Japan. So the ware on the tables is a mix of kohiki, yakishime, sometsuke and matte contemporary work all at once.
Look for something that is typically Kasama and you will be lost. As a place to look for what you personally like, on the other hand, no region has this breadth. Go and find the Kasama ware that is yours.
How the region came about is covered in Kasama ware, and its relationship with neighbouring Mashiko in Mashiko ware, so do read them alongside this.
Why the two regions turned out as opposites is compared in Mashiko vs Kasama pottery. Work by Kasama makers can be browsed in Kasama ware.
How to work Kasama Roman
- 1. Look at ware in the morning The crowds for music and food come from midday. If you are choosing ware, right after opening is best: fewer people, and more still on the tables.
- 2. Note down makers' names With no house style, Kasama is a region where you choose by the individual maker. Writing down the names you liked gives you a way to meet those makers again outside the two annual fairs.
- 3. Do CRAFT GATHERING first It ends at 16:00. If you mean to go as far as Kasama Craft Hills, build it in ahead of the rest.
- 4. Shop in the morning, then food and music Kasama Roman has a wide range going on, so shopping in the morning, leaving your purchases in the car, and spending the afternoon over food and music is a good way to take it.
What to bring
- Cash Outdoor stalls are sometimes cash only, so do bring some.
- Newspaper or a towel Wrapping can be minimal. If you are worried, bring something that will serve as easy padding.
- A picnic sheet This is a grass park. With food and music on, being able to sit down makes all the difference. Treat it as essential.
- Shoes you can walk in It is inside a park, but you will be walking, and walking on grass, so come dressed for it.
- Something to layer Kasama sits among hills, so mornings and evenings in mid-October are cold. A layer you can add or remove is a must.
Related reading
Learn about Kasama
- Kasama Ware: Japan's Most Free-Spirited Pottery Town
- Mashiko Pottery: Where Japanese Folk Craft Still Lives
- Mingei: The Folk Craft Movement That Changed Pottery
- Mashiko vs Kasama Pottery: How Two Neighbouring Kiln Towns Grew Apart
- Kasama Ware | Contemporary Japanese Pottery from Ibaraki
Choosing Kasama ware
- Kohiki Pottery: The White Slip Technique, Explained
- Shinogi: The Carved Ridges on Japanese Pottery
- Keshiki: How to Read the 'Landscape' on a Pot
Before you go to a pottery fair
- Pottery Fair Calendar
- How to Visit a Japanese Pottery Fair: 9 Regions Compared
- Mashiko Pottery Fair: Getting There from Tokyo, Parking and Crowds
- Kodai (Foot Ring): The Part Collectors Check First
For the days you cannot go
The fair is only three days a year. Even if you cannot make those days, we send pieces made one at a time by hand, direct from where they were made. Every piece carries its maker's name, so you can trace who made it.
See work by our makersFAQ
When is Kasama Roman held?
How does Kasama Roman differ from the spring Himatsuri?
Can I visit Kasama and Mashiko on the same trip?
Shop the related pieces
New to Japanese pottery? Start here — its history, how pottery differs from porcelain, the clays and glazes behind each style, and how to care for a piece. → Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide