INAX Museums: Tile and Ceramic Heritage in Tokoname

Tokoname has been firing clay for a thousand years as one of Japan’s six ancient kilns, and its most famous industrial descendant, the bathroom and tile maker INAX, repaid the debt by building a museum complex here. The INAX Museums are a love letter to ceramics in their most useful forms, from decorative tiles gathered worldwide to the mighty kilns that once smoked above the town.

Around the complex

The site gathers several small museums and studios. The tile collection is the jewel, room after room of glazed colour and pattern from across centuries and continents, displayed with real curatorial flair. A preserved early twentieth century kiln with its towering chimney anchors the heritage side, humming with atmosphere, and hands on workshops let visitors make mosaics and other small ceramic works to carry home. It is a niche subject handled so well that sceptical companions routinely leave converted.

Getting there

Tokoname is on the Meitetsu line from Nagoya Station, roughly half an hour on an express toward Central Japan Airport, which sits just offshore. The museums are a walk or short bus ride from Tokoname Station. Pair the visit with the town’s Pottery Footpath, a hillside wander past workshops, brick chimneys and walls built from old kiln furniture, plus the giant beckoning cat that watches over the station approach in tribute to Tokoname’s other great export.

Frequently asked questions

Do workshops need booking? Popular sessions do, especially on weekends, so reserve ahead if making something matters to you.

How long for the complex? Two hours covers it well, half a day with the Pottery Footpath added.

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