Tokoname: The Pottery Footpath and INAX Museums, Five Minutes from Centrair Airport

Last checked: October 20, 2026, against the official Visit Tokoname tourism website. Hours, closing days and fares change, so please confirm on the official site before you go. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the city of Tokoname or any facility. This post may contain affiliate links; if you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Tokoname is a pottery town on the Chita Peninsula, just beside Chubu Centrair International Airport. Its pottery has been made for more than 1,000 years, and the old streets around the kilns can be walked in an hour or two. It is an easy half day on the day you arrive in or leave Nagoya. This guide covers how to get there, the two walking courses, the INAX Museums and the practical details.

The short version

From Centrair Airport	About 5 minutes, 330 yen for adults
From Meitetsu Nagoya Station	About 30 minutes by express, 750 yen for adults
Pottery Footpath, Course A	1.6 kilometers, about 1 hour
Pottery Footpath, Course B	4 kilometers, about 2.5 hours
INAX Museums	10:00 to 17:00, closed on Wednesdays

Times and fares are from the official Visit Tokoname access page on the date above.

How to get there

The official access page lists:

• From Centrair Airport. Take the Meitetsu Airport Line to Tokoname Station. It takes about 5 minutes. The one-way fare is 330 yen for adults and 170 yen for children.
• From Nagoya. Take the Meitetsu Tokoname Line from Meitetsu Nagoya Station to Tokoname Station. An express train takes about 30 minutes, and the adult fare is 750 yen.
• Do not take the μSKY. The page says μSKY trains, which have reserved seats only, do not stop at Tokoname Station.
• By car. There are parking lots near the Pottery Footpath. From Nagoya, use the Chita Peninsula Road and then the Centrair Line to Tokoname IC or Rinku IC.

For the μSKY and the other airport trains, see our Centrair to Nagoya guide.

The Pottery Footpath

According to the Visit Tokoname site, Tokoname’s pottery has lasted for more than 1,000 years and has shaped the city’s history and economy. The Pottery Footpath (Yakimono Sanpomichi) was launched in 1972 and is centered on the Sakaemachi district, where old houses and kilns remain. Both courses start at Tokoname Tojiki Kaikan (Ceramics Hall), which has displays of Tokoname ware and tourist information.

Course A: 1.6 kilometers, about 1 hour

• Takita Family Residence. The former home of a wealthy shipping agent family, built in 1850, with furniture, ceramics and lacquerware.
• Dokanzaka Hill. A gently sloping street where pottery forms part of the walls and the paving. One side has ceramic pipes made in the 1870s, and the other has shochu bottles from around 1960.
• Noborigama (Toei Kiln). The city’s last surviving climbing kiln, in use from 1887 to 1974, with eight firing chambers and 10 chimneys.
• Climbing Kiln Plaza. A building next to the kiln, with an early nineteenth-century kiln that you can walk inside.
• Brick chimneys. The site says there were more than 300 chimneys in the 1950s, and about 100 are preserved.

Course B: 4 kilometers, about 2.5 hours

• INAX Live Museum. A complex of six halls on Tokoname’s pottery culture.
• Tokoname Tou no Mori Museum. A history museum with Tokoname pottery made over the centuries. The site says the signs have detailed English explanations.

The site notes that many visitors take longer than the suggested times.

INAX Museums

The official page describes the museums as an experience-based complex of six halls, including a tile museum, an architectural terracotta museum, a kiln plaza, a tiling workshop and a ceramics lab. Some areas have workshops and classes.

• Hours. 10:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30.
• Closed. Wednesdays (the next day if Wednesday is a holiday), and the year-end and New Year holidays.
• Fee. The official page does not list a clear admission fee. It says some areas are free, so check the museum’s own site before you go.
• Phone. 0569-34-8282.

Klook also sells an INAX Museums ticket, shown below. Compare it with the museum’s own site, since the official fee is not clear.

A half-day plan

1. Arrive at Tokoname Station by train, about 5 minutes from the airport. 2. Go to the Ceramics Hall and pick up the tourist information, then walk Course A. 3. Have a coffee or a snack at one of the cafes along the footpath. The tourism site lists them. 4. Visit the INAX Museums if you chose Course B or have extra time, avoiding Wednesdays.

If you are changing planes or flying out, check the time you need at the airport before you plan the walk. The official pages do not say whether there are luggage lockers along the footpath.

Tips

• Avoid Wednesdays if you want to see the INAX Museums.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Dokanzaka Hill is a slope paved with pottery.
• Allow extra time if you want to go inside the kiln buildings and the museums.
• Combine it with Nagoya. See our 3-day Nagoya itinerary and our guide to getting around Nagoya.

Map

Open these places in Google Maps:

• Tokoname Station
• Tokoname Tojiki Kaikan (Ceramics Hall)
• Dokanzaka Hill
• Noborigama (Toei Kiln)
• INAX Live Museum

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get to Tokoname from Centrair? About 5 minutes by the Meitetsu Airport Line, and 330 yen for adults.

How long does it take from Nagoya? About 30 minutes by express from Meitetsu Nagoya Station, and 750 yen for adults.

Does the μSKY stop at Tokoname? No. Take another train.

How long is the Pottery Footpath? Course A is 1.6 kilometers and takes about an hour. Course B is 4 kilometers and takes about 2.5 hours.

When are the INAX Museums closed? On Wednesdays, and over the year-end and New Year holidays.