Town of raccoon dogs, town of pottery, Shigara

Travel Blogs

There is a town called Shigaraki in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, which is located in a mountainous area surrounded by nature.　

This town is a rural town, but it’s a unique place with some famous things.

1 Once upon a time, the capital of Japan was placed

2 The hometown of Japanese pottery, Shigaraki ware

3 Place of MIHO MUSEUM which is popular among foreigners

4 Where there are many raccoon dogs…

Have you ever seen a raccoon dog?　

It seems that there are many countries without raccoon dogs.

Here it is↓

What you see in this town are not live raccoon dogs, but raccoon figurines and pottery.

This tanuki figurine is often placed at the entrance of houses in Shiga Prefecture as a lucky charm.

Also, raccoon dogs have a Japanese meaning of “outstanding others”, and they are placed at the entrance of companies to pray for prosperous business.

And there is also a huge raccoon dog at Shigaraki station! !

Of course, Shigaraki ware also has artistic works, and there is a museum called “Shigaraki Ceramic Forest” located a 20-minute walk from the station.

It’s fun to transfer to 3 trains from Kyoto Station!

(Biwako Line – Kusatsu Line – Shigaraki Kogen Railway)

Check it out on Google Maps. There are also many unique pottery shops in town. Please take it easy and enjoy yourself.