I'm planning a trip to Osaka in end-Jan. I'll have 4 full days there and plan to make day trips to Nara and Himeji.

For someone who's not into temples, would Nara be a waste of time?

I have an interest in Japanese pottery. Are there any pottery shops/studios in Osaka/Nara/Himeji like the pottery lane near Kyoto's Kiyomizu temple?

Are Shigaraki and Tamba pottery towns accessible by train or bus from Osaka, Nara or Himeji?

hyperdia.com shows that Shigaraki is about 2 hours by train from JR Osaka station. not sure about Tamba.

It seems like, for TANBA, you need to take JR-Fukuchiyama line from Osaka and get off at JR-Aino (or Sono, the name is written in kanji and can be read either way), then take a local bus to pottery area.

And Tanba is an ancient name of the area and today it is called Sasayama-shi, it seems like.

Many thanks for all your help!

I was in Nara in June. I would say the main attraction there is temple sites -- wonderful ones, but if you are not into temples you may not enjoy the city. I didn't see any emphasis on pottery or art, but I was on foot -- walking from the train, through the downtown streets, and into the park-like sites with temples. Are you going to Kyoto? Like you mentioned, there is pottery there, as well as many other things to do.

PamR, thanks for sharing your experience in Nara. I'm not planning to visit Kyoto this time, unless I have spare time. May skip Nara and just do Osaka, Himeji and Tamba for this trip.