"Utsuwa Sagashi" (うつわさがし) will be held in Toki, a Mino ware production area in Gifu Prefecture, on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2026. The event centers on five main venues, including a marche in front of Toki City Hall and pottery markets and kiln towns around the city. With free loop buses connecting the venues, visitors can spend two days meeting makers, choosing tableware, and strolling through the towns.
Two Autumn Days in a Mino Ware Production Area
Visitors can pick up tableware, talk with makers and vendors, and walk through towns that are home to kilns. Utsuwa Sagashi links the pottery festivals and pottery markets held in Toki so that visitors can enjoy encountering tableware.
From traditional ceramics to tableware for everyday meals, each venue shows a different side of Mino ware. Along with shopping, visitors can take in the landscape of the production area where the tableware is made.
Five Main Venues, Five Ways to Meet Tableware
The five main venues are spread across the city. Visitors can choose the venues that interest them and tour the production area at their own pace.
Utsuwa Sagashi Marche (うつわさがしマルシェ): In Front of Toki City Hall
Pottery sales and food trucks gather here, and information on the venues around the city is also available, making it a hub for touring the area. Both the North and South routes of the free loop bus can be used from here.
- Venue: In front of Toki City Hall (2101 Tokiguchi, Tokitsu-cho, Toki City, Gifu)
- Hours: October 24: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM / October 25: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
A visitor choosing tableware at the Utsuwa Sagashi Marche (past event). In 2026, the marche will be held in front of Toki City Hall. Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Mino Ware Traditional Crafts Festival (美濃焼伝統工芸品まつり): Mino Ware Traditional Industry Hall and Mino Togeimura
Exhibitions and special exhibitions at the Mino Ware Traditional Industry Hall (美濃焼伝統産業会館), along with exhibition sales by kilns at the nearby Mino Togeimura (美濃陶芸村), offer a look at the techniques handed down in the production area and the variety of its expression.
- Venue: Mino Ware Traditional Industry Hall and Mino Togeimura (1429-8 Kujiri, Izumi-cho, Toki City)
- Hours: Both days, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Tableware on display at the Mino Ware Traditional Crafts Festival (past event). Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Oribe Hills Pottery Market (織部ヒルズ陶器市): Toki Mino Ware Wholesale Commercial Complex
Held at Oribe Hills, where ceramics wholesalers are gathered, under the theme of tableware and daily life. Visitors can compare the pieces selected by each shop and look for one to bring into their everyday life.
- Venue: Oribe Hills (織部ヒルズ), the Toki Mino Ware Wholesale Commercial Complex (土岐美濃焼卸商業団地) (Izumikitayama-cho, Toki City; 土岐市泉北山町)
- Hours: October 24: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM / October 25: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
An image of choosing tableware at Oribe Hills. Photo: TAKAO HIROKI @TAKAO HIROKI DESIGN OFFICE
Oroshi Doeraaee Pottery Festival (下石どえらあええ陶器祭り): Oroshi-cho
A festival with the pleasures unique to a production area, such as touring kilns and pottery markets where ceramics are set out on moroita (もろ板) boards. Visitors can also enjoy a stroll while looking for the "Tokkuri Tokkun" (とっくりとっくん) found around town.
- Venue: Tokkuri Ground (とっくりグラウンド) and the area around kilns in Oroshi-cho
- Hours: October 24: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM / October 25: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
A scene at the Oroshi Doeraaee Pottery Festival (past event). Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Dachi Donburi Festival (駄知どんぶりまつり): Dachi-cho
The festival centers on warehouse-stock sales by kilns and trading companies. While choosing tableware, visitors can walk through streets that retain a Showa-era atmosphere and landscapes with chimneys.
- Venue: The area around kilns and shops in Dachi-cho
- Hours: October 24: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM / October 25: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
A visitor picking up tableware at the Dachi Donburi Festival (past event). Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Visitors walking through Dachi and touring kilns (past event). Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Getting Around by Free Loop Bus
During the event, loop buses will run on three routes: the North Route, South Route 01 (via Dachi), and South Route 02 (via Oroshi). All routes are free to ride and can be used to travel between venues.
Boarding points and timetables, including the stops in front of Toki-shi Station and Toki City Hall, can be found on the "Bus & Access" page of the official website. Check each venue's closing time and the return bus schedule before heading out.
Toki Urain-cho (土岐裏印帳): Collecting Memories of the Trip
The Toki Urain-cho is a book for collecting the backstamps of kilns and trading companies, along with the marks of restaurants and lodging facilities, to keep a record of encounters with the production area. Beyond looking for tableware, it adds another way to enjoy touring the towns.
- Price: Regular edition ¥500 / Japanese-style bound edition ¥1,000 (both tax included)
- Where sold: At the festival venues in front of Toki City Hall, at the Traditional Industry Hall, at Oribe Hills, in Oroshi-cho, and in Dachi-cho
Collecting stamps in the Toki Urain-cho (past event). Photo: @えびす MINO PRIDE
Event Overview
- Name: Utsuwa Sagashi: Connected Autumn Pottery Festival (うつわさがし（つながる秋の陶器まつり）)
- Dates: Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2026
- Location: Centered on five main venues in Toki, Gifu Prefecture
- Hours: Vary by venue. See the venue descriptions above.
- Organizer: Autumn Toki City Pottery Festival Executive Committee (秋の土岐市陶器まつり実行委員会)
- Supported by: Toki City and the Toki City Tourism Association (一般社団法人土岐市観光協会)
- Rain: Held rain or shine. For the latest event information, check the official website.
- Loop bus: Free on all routes
