![[2025 Latest Edition] What is the Western Japan Ceramic Festival? Highlights, Access, and Exhibition Information Summary](https://en.kogei-japonica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/festa_1-scaled-1.webp.pagespeed.ce.ZPXS9pSscn.webp "[2025 Latest Edition] What is the Western Japan Ceramic Festival? Highlights, Access, and Exhibition Information Summary")
The large-scale event “Western Japan Ceramic Festival” that ceramic enthusiasts must see will be held in Fukuoka again in 2025. This popular event brings together kilns and artists from Kyushu and across the nation, offering opportunities to discover diverse works ranging from everyday tableware to one-of-a-kind craft pieces.
This article provides detailed information about the Western Japan Ceramic Festival’s event overview, highlights, access information, and notable exhibitors with the latest updates. Be sure to check this out before visiting to fully enjoy the charm of ceramics at this event.
Table of Contents
What is the Western Japan Ceramic Festival?
In 2025, as in previous years, the festival will feature diverse programs including exhibition sales, workshops, lectures, and exhibitions of young ceramic artists’ works.
History Since the First Event in 1979 (Showa 54) and Event Overview
The Western Japan Ceramic Festival started in 1979 with the purpose of introducing ceramic culture from major production areas centered in Western Japan and contributing to the promotion and development of the ceramic industry.
Held at the West Japan General Exhibition Center in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the festival features Arita-yaki, Imari-yaki, Hasami-yaki, and Karatsu-yaki among works from kilns and artists from 235 companies across 29 prefectures nationwide.
In recent years, in addition to exhibition sales where visitors can enjoy direct dialogue with creators, the festival has enriched programs such as the “Western Japan Ceramic Artists Exhibition,” “Encounter of Flowers and Vessels,” and “Live Flower Arrangement Events” that allow visitors to experience the charm of ceramics from multiple perspectives. It has established itself not merely as a sales event, but as a place where visitors can deeply experience regional culture and the appeal of crafts.
What are the Visitor Numbers and Scale?
This festival has maintained a scale of 50,000 to 60,000 visitors over many years, consistently recording over 50,000 visitors annually throughout the 2010s. With exhibition booths consistently exceeding 200, it has established itself as Western Japan’s largest ceramic event.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it was reduced to approximately 30,000 visitors and 149 exhibiting companies, but recovered to a scale of 40,000 visitors from 2022 onward. The 46th festival in 2024 aimed for 45,000 visitors and 235 exhibiting companies. The 2025 festival plans for a structure of 50,000 visitors and 235 companies.
The event format is primarily in-person, with online limited to digital initiatives such as experience reservation sites and SNS distribution. The association is implementing cafe projects and SNS enhancement targeting younger demographics, with visitor demographics becoming increasingly diverse.
- Ceramic Direct Sales Exhibition List
- Master Craftsman Exhibition List
- Tableware Related Products Direct Sales Exhibition List
2025 Highlights
The 47th Western Japan Ceramic Festival in 2025 is scheduled to be held under the theme “A Day to Fall in Love with Vessels at First Sight.” 235 companies of kilns and artists from 29 prefectures nationwide will exhibit, with approximately 50,000 ceramic works displayed and sold.
As a notable program, the “Western Japan Ceramic Artists Exhibition,” which displays artistic works of the highest caliber all in one place, will hold a joint exhibition by artists from Nitten, Japan Traditional Crafts Association, Contemporary Art and Crafts Association, and Japan New Crafts Artists Federation. All pieces are one-of-a-kind and available for purchase.
Access and Event Information
The Western Japan Ceramic Festival 2025 will be held at the “West Japan General Exhibition Center Main Building” in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. As in previous years, it will be held during the autumn holiday period, making it a large-scale event that attracts ceramic enthusiasts from not only the local area but from across the nation.
The excellent accessibility and the combination with unique Kitakyushu area tourism are among the reasons for its popularity. Here we provide detailed information about the event schedule, access methods, and ticket information you should know before visiting.
Event Overview
Name
47th Western Japan Ceramic Festival
Dates
September 19 (Friday) – 24 (Wednesday), Reiwa 7 (2025), 6 days
Hours
10:00-17:00 (until 16:00 on Wednesday the 24th)
Admission Fee
Same-day 600 yen (free for high school students and under) / Advance 400 yen (sold at Lawson)
Venue
West Japan General Exhibition Center (3-8-1 Asano, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City)
Exhibition Scale
Exhibition space: 10,000m²
Number of Exhibitors (planned)
235 companies
Number of Visitors (planned)
50,000 people
Organizer
Kitakyushu Convention & Visitors Association
Access by Public Transportation and Car
When using public transportation, the nearest station is JR “Kokura Station” (Shinkansen), approximately 5 minutes on foot via pedestrian deck. From Hakata Station, it takes about 23 minutes by Shinkansen, and from Fukuoka Airport, about 26 minutes by combining subway and Shinkansen (subway “Fukuoka Airport” → “Hakata Station” 9 minutes, Hakata Station → Kokura Station Shinkansen about 12 minutes), offering excellent access from outside the prefecture.
For visitors by car, parking is available at the “West Japan General Exhibition Center Main Building Parking” (capacity about 180 cars) and “AIM Underground Parking” (capacity 427 cars) on the venue premises, plus numerous private parking lots in the surrounding area that allow advance reservations. All are paid parking, and especially on weekends and holidays, full capacity is expected, so public transportation is recommended. The surrounding area has many hotels and business inns, making it convenient for visitors who combine accommodation with their visit.
Ticket Types and Purchase Methods
Tickets are required for admission to the Western Japan Ceramic Festival. In 2025, general admission tickets are (advance 400 yen / same-day 600 yen), with free admission for high school students and under, making it a welcome pricing structure for families.
Tickets can be purchased at Lawson convenience stores, convenience store terminals, and through online purchase at the Lawson Ticket site below, with advance purchase recommended to ease congestion.
Advance Ticket Purchase (advance 400 yen)
https://l-tike.com/event/mevent/?mid=628686
Highlights and Ways to Enjoy
The Western Japan Ceramic Festival is a major event that attracts attention from ceramic enthusiasts both domestically and internationally. Selected kilns and artists from production areas across the nation exhibit, with a wide lineup ranging from everyday tableware to one-of-a-kind artistic pieces.
Furthermore, it serves as a comprehensive cultural event where visitors can enjoy participatory programs such as pottery experiences and children’s workshops, as well as local gourmet food and tourism. Below, we introduce three highlights to keep in mind when visiting.
235 Companies of Kilns and Artists from 29 Prefectures Nationwide
235 companies of kilns and artists from 29 prefectures nationwide exhibit, with new works and standard pieces from diverse production areas including Arita-yaki, Mino-yaki, Karatsu-yaki, Hagi-yaki, Shigaraki-yaki, and Hasami-yaki all gathered together. A major attraction is that creators are stationed at each booth, allowing visitors to hear directly about techniques and work backgrounds while making purchases.
Centered on autumn new works, a diverse array of vessels that follow traditional techniques while fitting into contemporary lifestyles are displayed. The joy of actually handling pieces and finding vessels that match your sensibilities expands.
Workshops and Experience Events
The pottery experience corner, where even beginners can easily participate, offers three programs: ①pottery wheel experience (participation fee 300 yen), ②painting experience (from 1,200 yen), ③neriage workshop (2,750 yen).
Each experience operates on a time reservation system, with pottery wheel experience and neriage workshop available through online advance reservation or same-day reception slots. Creators and classroom staff provide support, ensuring first-time participants from children to adults can participate with confidence.
Venue Gourmet and Surrounding Tourist Attractions
Within the venue, diverse food booths appear, including a “Roll Cake Cafe” where you can enjoy daily-changing roll cakes from 44 stores across the prefecture and beyond, “Izutsuya Shochu Brewery” where you can taste shochu from 24 breweries nationwide, “Coffee Cup Exhibition” featuring coffee brewed in exhibiting kilns’ proud vessels, and outdoor kitchen car corners. Within the venue, eating and drinking is only permitted in designated areas outside the exhibition hall annex.
The venue surroundings are excellently located with direct connection from JR Kokura Station, with access to Kokura Castle and Katsuyama Park in about 5 minutes on foot. For market gourmet, Tanga Market (10 minutes on foot), Riverwalk Kitakyushu combining shopping and museums (8 minutes on foot), and Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History where you can learn about nature and history (3 monorail stations) allow visitors to fully enjoy tourism in central Kitakyushu City before and after the festival.
Exhibitor & Purchase Guide
A major attraction of the Western Japan Ceramic Festival is the ability to actually handle and purchase works from kilns and artists gathered from across the nation. To ensure enjoyment for everyone from beginners to collectors, exhibition areas are arranged by genre and region, with diverse price ranges prepared.
Here we provide detailed information about exhibitor trends, purchase checkpoints, and shipping support within the venue.
Major Exhibiting Kilns and Artists List
242 kilns and artists from 29 prefectures nationwide exhibit, bringing together traditional craft artists and contemporary artists from diverse production areas including Arita-yaki (Saga Prefecture), Hasami-yaki (Nagasaki Prefecture), Hagi-yaki (Yamaguchi Prefecture), Karatsu-yaki (Saga Prefecture), and Shigaraki-yaki (Shiga Prefecture).
The special exhibition “Master Craftsman Exhibition” features 36 groups of traditional craftsmen from across the nation, while the “Tableware Related Products Direct Sales Exhibition” includes 15 booths of lifestyle goods artists. Many booths have artists in attendance, offering the major attraction of hearing directly about techniques and work backgrounds while making purchases. The latest exhibitor list can be viewed on the official website’s “Ceramic Direct Sales Exhibition List” page.
Selection Points and Price Ranges
When selecting ceramics, it’s good to check ①glaze coloring, ②vessel weight, ③kodai (foot) finishing, ④comfort when held in hand. Artist pieces are mostly one-of-a-kind, with virtually no identical shapes or patterns, so trusting intuitive “encounters” leads to good choices.
Price ranges vary widely, from practical everyday items focused on usability at around 300-1,000 yen, to artistic works by artists and rare one-of-a-kind pieces ranging from several thousand yen to tens of thousands of yen, sometimes even exceeding 100,000 yen.
Post-Purchase Packing and Shipping Services
Purchased ceramics can be packed for a fee using cushioning materials and cardboard boxes prepared at each exhibition booth.
Since there is no common packing booth at the venue, be sure to confirm packing methods and costs with each exhibitor at the time of purchase.
Shipping is available through Yamato Home Convenience (Yamato-bin), Japan Post’s Yu-Pack, Sagawa Express, and other courier services.
Most exhibitors support shipping with tracking numbers and handle packing materials suitable for fragile items.
When making large purchases from distant locations, it’s reassuring to confirm shipping conditions and delivery availability with each exhibitor in advance.
Summary
The Western Japan Ceramic Festival is a major event where visitors can fully experience the charm of ceramics that fuse tradition and modernity. Since the first event in 1979 (Showa 54), kilns and artists from across the nation have gathered to provide a venue for encounters with diverse works.
The 2025 festival also features enriched special programs and workshops, with content that satisfies everyone from beginners to collectors.
Additionally, access and purchase support are well-organized, allowing visitors to enjoy with peace of mind. The experience of touching ceramic culture and actually handling and selecting pieces offers great value that cannot be experienced online. Why not visit in person to encounter your own unique “vessels”?
