in Aichi prefecture is well-known for its ceramics. The komainu at Hachioji Shrine were made in a kiln in Mino. Over 1,000 people were involved in their production which took 183 days!

Mizunami also holds the record for producing the world's largest teapot also acknowledged by Guinness.

Hachioji Shrine is on route 363 which leads to Ena city from Seto and Nagoya.

Monday, December 28, 2015

The Ikedaya Yasubei Shoten in downtown Toyama city is a store selling traditional Japanese medicines.

Toyama has long been a center of the pharmaceutical industry and patent medicines in Japan since the Edo period (1603-1868). The industry has its roots in the 17th century when a wandering physician from Okayama came here and presented Maeda Masatoshi, the ruling daimyo (feudal lord) with a family recipe.

So successful washand at making your very own food replica.

Sample Kobo (サンプル工房) is the nearer of the two places to the center of town, the Honkan is just around the corner from the Tourist Information Center and Rakugeikan Medical Museum. The Kitamachikan, the company's other branch is on the other side of the river across from Jokamachi Plaza, the Hakurankan and the bus station. At both places visitors can make their own replicas for a small fee including ice-cream, a dessert or tempura. Lots of different food replica samples are also on display including sushi, ramen, beer and tempura and there is a cafe serving real food.

Sample Kobo Honkan is open from 9am-5pm (longer during the Gujo Odori period) and closed on Thursday except during the summer months. The Kitamachikan