| Customer: Female from Singapore Program: 15-day pottery making in Tajimi Duration: 2014/03/09-2014/03/23 |
| Message from our customer: I stayed 14 days in Tajimi in March 2014. The weather was cold, but the warmth of the human spirit in Tajimi is strong. Sensei is kind and is well-loved by his students. Daily communication was easy as I had an excellent translator, Mrs Hatori. The students that come to the studio are kind, humorous and friendly people. I am experienced at wheel throwing but I wanted to know more about working with porcelain clay. Shinsei helped me to improve my understanding of this material in terms of wheel throwing, trimming, glazing and various tips etc. I tried out two types of porcelain clay in HOCA. I also tried out the regular stoneware clay that the studio uses and witnessed the vigorous training drill by Shinsei for his younger students. I was very inspired by them to improve my technical skills when I come back home. The accommodation is just upstairs of the studio so I could work late in the studio as I required. The accommodation is comfortable, clean and modern, with a well equipped kitchenette to prepare meals. Japanese supermarkets are very well stocked with ready-to-make and ready-to-eat foods at reasonable prices. Tajimi is a convenient and charming town full of streams and rivers, with a mix of new and old buildings, a main pottery “Oribe street” that has many ceramic shops, and a separate main biking path away from vehicle traffic. I cycled to the town centre and supermarkets when the weather was good. Tajimi Catholic Monastery is also within 30 mins of easy cycling in the same direction. Nagoya is only about 1 hour away by train. There are plenty of ceramic and art museums in Tajimi, neighbouring town Seto, and Nagoya. I was quite busy on some days doing pottery, working from 10am till about 8 or 9pm at night, as 14 days is fairly short time to throw at the wheel, to trim, to bisque, glaze, high fire, and pack. I took days off for exploration when the pots were being fired. Shinsei was very kind to accommodate my schedule but I would recommend others to stay a longer period if they can. I treasure this immersive experience and really appreciate the kindness and generosity of Sensei and his pupils. I had a great time in Tajimi and would recommend other pottery enthusiasts to experience HOCA and Tajimi for themselves. |
     |
