Noritake Garden

Noritake Garden Review

Delicate colors and intricate hand-painted designs characterize the china of Noritake, the world's largest manufacturer of porcelain. Its garden complex includes a craft center—effectively a mini-factory where workers demonstrate the 15-step manufacturing process from modeling to glazing to hand painting. You can even paint a design and transfer it to a piece of china. Workshops run 10-4 and cost ¥1,800 plus the price of shipping your piece once it has been fired (only plates can be shipped overseas). The upper floors house a small museum displaying "Old Noritake" works with art nouveau and art deco influences. Browsing is free in the "Celabo" area in the Welcome Center, which shows the diverse industrial applications of ceramics, from circuit boards to racing helmets. There's the odd bargain to be found in the outlet section of the company shop. Noritake Garden is a 15-minute walk north of JR Nagoya Station or five minutes from the Kamejima subway station.