Noritake Craft Center, Nagoya

The Noritake Craft Center, located in the Noritake Garden near JR Nagoya Station in Nagoya, is a key attraction that offers a blend of historical, cultural, and recreational experiences. The site is the original location of the first Noritake ceramics factory, featuring the iconic red-brick buildings and kilns.

Noritake Garden, a lush, park-like area, includes the Noritake Museum, the Craft Center, a Noritake shop, a restaurant, and a cafe. The Craft Center, situated on the first two floors of a four-story building, showcases traditional ceramic-making techniques. Visitors can observe skilled craftsmen as they create intricately hand-painted pottery and even participate in workshops to paint their ceramics.

Opened to commemorate Noritake's 100th anniversary, the Craft Center provides detailed explanations of the porcelain production process, with demonstrations by artisans. The top two floors house the Noritake Museum, which displays a wide range of ceramics produced by Noritake over its long history. Exhibits include exquisite "Old Noritake" pieces, historical dinnerware, and design drawings from the Meiji and Taisho periods. Noteworthy is the tableware designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the former Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.

The garden area features six chimneys from old kilns built in the 1930s, a Kiln Wall decorated with plates inscribed with donors' names, and a biotope of trees, plants, and water. The "Detached Kiln" is a charming element nestled within this natural space. Adjacent to the garden, a large Aeon shopping mall, named after Noritake Garden, was opened in 2021.

Noritake, a leading ceramics company based in Nagoya, has a history spanning over a century. Noritake Garden, established on the company’s former factory grounds, not only introduces visitors to the company's rich history and diverse product range, including industrial ceramics and electronics but also serves as a serene recreational area in the city.