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Only dedicated lovers of ceramics will want to linger in drab IMBE , 30km east of Okayama and home of Bizen-yaki, Japan's oldest method of making pottery, developed here over 1000 years ago. The ceramics' distinctive earthy colour and texture is achieved without the use of glazes, by firing in wood-fuelled kilns, whose brick chimneys you'll see dotted around Imbe Station. Beside the station is a tourist information counter (daily except Tues 9am-6pm; tel 0869/64-1100), where you can pick up an English leaflet about Bizen-yaki and get directions to the local pottery museums, the best being the Bizen Pottery Traditional and Contemporary Art Museum (Tues-Sun 9.30am-4.30pm; Y500), in the grey concrete block immediately north of the station. This museum displays both old and new examples of the ceramics, providing an overview of the pottery's style and development. There are plenty of kilns with attached shops which you can mooch around in Imbe, and at some there are studios where you can sculpt your own blob of clay, for around Y3000. This is then fired and shipped to your home (for overseas deliveries you'll need to pay extra). The most convenient place to try your hand at making pottery is the Bizen-yaki Traditional Pottery Centre (tel 0869/64-1001), on the third floor of Imbe Station, where workshops are held each weekend and on holidays. If you have a car, it's worth exploring the area around Imbe and in particular heading northeast to visit the Shizutani School (daily 9am-4.30pm; Y300), 3km south of the Yoshinaga Station on the JR Sanyo line. Secluded in a leafy vale, this elegant walled compound of buildings was established by feudal lord Ikeda Mitsumasa in 1666 as a school open to all, regardless of social position. The gateways and large lecture hall are roofed with warm brown and grey Bizen-yaki tiles, contrasting sharply with the green lawns and gently rounded stone walls. Returning to Yoshinaga Station, you can  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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catch occasional buses north to the picturesque village of Hattoji , setting for the anti-war movie Black Rain , by Imamura Shohei, and home to the oldest and perhaps loveliest of Okayama's International Villas . The restored thatched-roof village farmhouse, on the slopes of Mount Hattoji, has an open hearth and a goemonburo - a traditional stone and metal bath - and all the rooms have tatami and fusuma (sliding screens).
Your Tips For Imbe
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