Otani Ware Kiln Festival 2026 | November 14-15: Dates, 6 Kilns, Walking from the Station
The Otani Ware Kiln Festival takes place over two days, Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15, 2026, in the Otani ware village of Oasa-cho, Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture. Hours are 9am to 4pm on both days. This is the 52nd year.
For these two days, the six Otani ware kilns each open their shops and welcome visitors. Every kiln holds a sale on selected pieces, and there is also an exhibition of fine pieces, capsule toys (gacha), and a dining hall where you eat from Otani ware.
This is not a big pottery fair with hundreds of tents. The six kilns are close together, within walking distance of JR Awa-Otani Station. You get off the train and visit them one by one as you walk through the village.
The dates, kilns, events and access in this article are based on the notice and flyer (52nd festival) issued by the organizer, the Otani Ware Pottery Association, on October 20, 2026. For changes on the day, please check the Otani Ware Pottery Association's official website.
2026 dates
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15, 2026 |
| Hours | 9am to 4pm each day |
| Venues | The six kilns of the Otani ware village, plus the Oasa-cho Society of Commerce and Industry (dining hall and cafe). The joint exhibition and sale is at Horie-kita Elementary School |
| Edition | 52nd |
| Organizer | Otani Ware Pottery Association (co-organized by the Oasa-cho Society of Commerce and Industry) |
| Inquiries | Oasa-cho Society of Commerce and Industry (088-689-0204) |
It is only two days, Saturday and Sunday. The dining hall and the capsule toys end when they sell out or run out, so if you have something in mind, the surest choice is to arrive on the morning of the first day, Saturday.
The six participating kilns
These six kilns take part in the 2026 kiln festival. The approximate walking times from JR Awa-Otani Station and the number of parking spaces at each kiln are the figures shown on the organizer's flyer, the "Kiln Tour Map".
| Kiln | From Awa-Otani Station | Parking at the kiln |
|---|---|---|
| 森陶器 | About 6 minutes on foot | 25 cars |
| tamura1784 | About 7 minutes on foot | 7 cars (plus 8 in a temporary lot) |
| 佳実窯 | About 9 minutes on foot | 6 cars |
| 矢野陶苑 | About 9 minutes on foot | 20 cars |
| 陶業会館 梅里窯 | About 10 minutes on foot | 10 cars |
| 大西陶器 | About 17 minutes on foot | 15 cars |
Even 大西陶器, the farthest, is less than a 20-minute walk from the station. The organizer itself describes the kilns as "within walking distance," and also suggests an easy ride around them by bicycle.
What you can do at the Otani Ware Kiln Festival
- Sale on selected pieces At each kiln. 20% off if you pay in cash, 15% off with cashless payment.
- Exhibition of fine pieces On display at each kiln. The theme for 2026 is "mugs." You can compare the glazes and shapes of each kiln in the same kind of piece.
- Otani ware capsule toys (gacha) At each kiln. Ends when they run out.
- Otani ware dining hall and cafe At the Oasa-cho Society of Commerce and Industry. You can enjoy a meal or coffee served in Otani ware. The cafe opens at 9am and the dining hall at 11am, both until sold out.
- Joint exhibition and sale At Horie-kita Elementary School. Work made by students of Horie-kita Elementary School and Oasa Junior High School is on display.
For the sale, the discount differs between cash and cashless payment. If you plan to buy several pieces, it pays to bring plenty of cash.
Getting to the Otani ware village
| By | Route |
|---|---|
| Train | Get off at JR Awa-Otani Station. From there you can walk around the kilns |
| Bus | From JR Naruto Station, take a Tokushima Bus and get off at "Otani" or "Daishimae" |
| Car (from Awaji) | About 25 minutes from Naruto-kita IC, about 10 minutes from Naruto IC |
| Car (Takamatsu Expressway) | About 10 minutes from Itano IC |
| Car (Tokushima Expressway) | About 20 minutes from Aizumi IC |
If you come by car, you can also use each kiln's parking, but the organizer asks visitors to use the temporary parking lot (Horie-kita Elementary School grounds) or public transport, to prevent traffic jams and crowding. The kilns' own lots are small, from 6 to 25 cars, so the surest plan is to park in the temporary lot and walk around.
About Otani ware
Otani ware is pottery fired in Otani, in Oasa-cho, Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture. It is known for its huge jars (ogame), and the large pieces have been thrown on a wheel called the "nerokuro," the lying-down wheel.
- Both large pieces and everyday pottery It is a home of huge jars, yet the kiln shops also carry pottery for daily use, like mugs.
- A national traditional craft Otani ware is designated a Traditional Craft of Japan by the national government, and "Otani ware" (Otaniyaki) is also registered as a regional collective trademark.
- Glazes that differ from kiln to kiln Even among the six kilns' mugs shown on the flyer, the colors are completely different from kiln to kiln: deep indigo, white, a reddish glaze. Lining them up at this year's mug exhibition makes the differences easy to see.
Otani ware is pottery that keeps the feel of the clay. The difference between pottery and porcelain is explained in Stoneware vs Porcelain. For an overview of Japanese ceramics as a whole, see Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide.
How to get around the Otani Ware Kiln Festival
- (1) Arrive for the 9am start The capsule toys and the dining hall end when they run out or sell out.
- (2) Start with the kilns near the station 森陶器, tamura1784, 佳実窯 and 矢野陶苑 are within 10 minutes of the station. Start around here and get a sense of which glazes you like.
- (3) Compare the mugs at the exhibition All six kilns have a display, so you can see how each kiln differs in the same kind of piece.
- (4) Have lunch at the Otani ware dining hall at the Oasa-cho Society of Commerce and Industry From 11am. Actually using Otani ware tells you its weight and how it feels on the lips.
- (5) Finish with 梅里窯 and 大西陶器 These two are a little farther from the station, so visiting them together at the end saves you extra walking.
What to bring to a pottery fair
- Cash The sale is 20% off in cash and 15% off with cashless payment.
- Newspaper or a towel Something to wrap your pottery in makes the trip home safer.
- A sturdy bag As you visit six kilns, your bags slowly fill up.
- Comfortable shoes You walk from kiln to kiln.
The dates of other autumn fairs are listed in the Pottery Fair Calendar. Tips on crowds and haggling on the day are in How to Visit a Japanese Pottery Fair.
Related reading
Pottery fairs in western Japan
- Bizen Pottery Festival 2026 | A Town of the Six Ancient Kilns
- Agano Ware Autumn Kiln Opening 2026 | October 23-25: Dates, Kilns, Shuttle Bus
- Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide
Before you go to a pottery fair
- Japan Pottery Fair Calendar 2026-2027: 90 Dates and Venues
- How to Visit a Japanese Pottery Fair: 9 Regions Compared
- Stoneware vs Porcelain: How to Tell Them Apart
For the days you cannot go
The kiln festival is only two days a year. Even if you cannot go on those days, we deliver pottery made one piece at a time by hand by artisans across Japan, directly from where it is made. The same kind of mug as this year's exhibition can be chosen artisan by artisan.
See mugs by Japanese artisansNew 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
