Tajimi

Tajimi (多治見) is a city in the Mino area of Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Understand
The Mino area is renowned for its ceramics and Tajimi is no exception. You can see several examples of the famous green pottery of Mino at the many museums and cultural centers around town. This is a smaller city and makes for a nice break from the hectic life of major cities.

Tourist information sites
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site and an English-only guide site.

By plane
The nearest international airport is Nagoya-Centrair, from which Tajimi can be reached in as little as 1 hour by train. The best place to change between the Meitetsu Line and the JR Chūō Line is Kanayama, where there is a dedicated interchange gate. (Note that most Shinano Limited Expresses do not stop at Kanayama.)

If you have bought a Japan Rail Pass, exchange your voucher at the Central Japan Travel Center in the Arrivals Lobby of the airport: this will save you a detour to Nagoya station (though you will still have to buy a separate ticket for the Meitetsu Line).

In the unlikely event that you use the domestic-only Nagoya-Komaki Airport instead, take the bus to Kachigawa Station (25 minutes, ¥300), from where it is between 20 and 30 minutes and ¥410 to Tajimi on the JR Chūō Line.

By train
The most obvious way into Tajimi is using the JR Chūō Line. There are five Local and Rapid trains per hour from Nagoya, taking between 35 and 45 minutes and costing ¥670.

Tajimi is also served by all Shinano Limited Express trains, which generally run every hour. From Nagoya, they take 22 minutes and cost ¥2140 (yes, more than triple the price of the normal trains); they are more useful for travel from the other direction, such as Kiso-Fukushima, Shiojiri, Matsumoto, and Nagano (just over 2 hr 30 min and ¥6770 from the latter).

From Tokyo, allow 2 hrs 35 mins and ¥11,510 (slightly longer and cheaper if avoiding Nozomi trains).

Tajimi is also served by the Taita Line, which runs to Mino-Ōta in about 30 minutes (¥320); there you can change for Gero, Takayama and Hida on the Takayama Line (including Hida Limited Express trains), or Seki, Mino and Gujō on the non-JR Nagaragawa Railway. Some Taita Line trains continue to Gifu (about 1 hr 15 min, ¥840), which is cheaper and sometimes faster than going through Nagoya; these trains stop at Unuma (55 minutes, ¥500), which is only 30 minutes walk (over the Inuyama Bridge) from Inuyama Castle.

By bus
Long distance buses for much of the country (especially to the west) come into Nagoya, from where you should take the train; however, a few services can get you directly into Tajimi.

Tajimi Station North Exit is served by the Chūō Liner Kani-gō, which runs twice a day to Shinjuku at a price of ¥5140 (¥8750 return, valid for 6 days). The day bus also serves bus stops along the Chūō Expressway in Western Tokyo (Mitaka, Jindaiji, Fuchū, and Hino) and takes 5 hr 50 min; the overnight bus does not, and takes a little over 5 hours (arriving before 06:00 in both directions). Operated by JR Bus Kantō and Tōtetsu Bus.

The following buses serve Tajimi Bus Stop on the Chūō Expressway: Tajimi Station is about 25 min walk away; the nearest local bus stop, Kanaokachō-Yonchōme, is 8 min walk away, but the buses are rather infrequent.
 * 2 buses a day from Shinjuku, also serving stops on the Chūō Expressway in Tokyo (Mitaka, Jindaiji, Fuchū, Hino, and Hachiōji), taking 5 hr 30 min and costing ¥5700 (cheaper outside peak periods). Operated by Meitetsu Bus and Keiō Bus Higashi.
 * An overnight bus from Shinjuku, taking a little over 6 hours (arriving before 06:00 in both directions) and costing the same as the day buses above. The bus from Shinjuku to Nagoya serves the same stops on the Chūō Expressway as the day buses, but the bus to Shinjuku instead serves Seiseki-Sakuragaoka and Fuchū stations on the Keiō Line. Operated by Meitetsu Bus.
 * 1 bus a day to Iida, taking 1 hr 45 min and costing ¥1810. This bus stops at several places, of which the most useful is Magome (on the Chūō Expressway, about 25 min walk from Magome-juku proper; 50 min and ¥1250). This bus can also be used to go to Meitetsu Bus Center in Nagoya (45 min and ¥1010). Operated by Meitetsu Bus and Shinnan Kōtsu.

A better option may be to use Mizunami-Tentoku Bus Stop (which is served by all of the buses which serve Tajimi Bus Stop, as well as buses to Minowa (via Komagane and Ina) and Kōfu) and walk 15 min to Mizunami Station, from where it is 15 min and ¥240 on the JR Chūō Line to Tajimi.

Get around
Tajimi doesn't have a very good public transportation system. There are buses, but they can be inconvenient. The best way around this city is by car or taxi.

An interesting quirk is that during daytime hours, Tōtetsu Bus reduce some local bus fares to ¥200.

On weekends and holidays, the Kikyō Bus Oribe Kankō Route runs six times a day from Tajimi Station South Exit to Eihoji Temple, Tajimi Shudoin, Ceramics Park and the Ceramic Art Museum, at a price of ¥100. If you don't want to bother with normal buses, taxis, or too much walking, this is probably the best option.

Buy

 * Oribe Street (15 minute walk from Tajimi Station South Exit, just over the Tajimi Bridge). A very nice shopping area, where you can buy many types of ceramics and other hand made items.
 * Utsuwatei Open from 08:00 until 17:00 everyday.  A great handicrafts shop about a one- or two-minute walk from the Tajimi Sōzōkan (Creative Center).  This store has tons of ceramics for both decoration and daily use, such as utensils.  You can also find a number of lacquer ware and apparel.

Go next

 * Minokamo
 * Kani
 * Kakamigahara
 * Gifu
 * Toki
 * Ena
 * Kasugai
 * Seto
 * Nagoya