These are from an international ceramics symposium I took part in. During the three week trip to Japan we fired six different wood kilns and had two exhibitions running simultaneously. The first exhibition took place in the Tokyo National University exhibition hall and the second in the City Gallery Kirari in Toride. There were more than a hundred and twenty pieces from twelve universities in the United States, the United kingdom, Turkey, Australia, China, Korea and Japan. There was a day of lectures seminars in which tutors from the participating universities demonstrated and discussed their making processes. Towards the end of the symposium we went on a road trip on which we visited a range of galleries, restaurants and hotels.

View from the youth hostel window on the 19th floor!

Tokyo by night

Aki Habarra, (the electric district) home of all the technological gadgets.

Odaiba, on the coast near Tokyo

Banquet in hot springs hotel where we stopped during the road trip.

Tempura restaurant.

Performance by the students of the Tokyo National School of Music

Dance performed by the ladies of a small farming village in the country, asking for a plentiful harvest.

The kiln site at the Toride campus of the Tokyo National School of Fine Arts and Music

Noborigama (Climbing kiln) Pre-heated with kerosene and the fired on wood. It was fired over 55-60 hours and consisted of five chambers climbing up a steady incline.

Touyugama (Kerosene kiln) Fired in neutral and oxidised atmospheres on Kerosene over 25-30 hours.

Usagigama (Rabbit Kiln) Fired with wood and kerosene in a neutral and reduction atmosphere for 25-30 hours.

Jagama (Snake Kiln) fired for 55-65 hours with wood. Unglazed ware was placed in the chamber with the hope that it would collect heavy fly-ash deposits

Some pots from the Jagama (snake Kiln)

Three-mouthed circular kiln. Fired over 30-50 hours with three Kerosene burners.The Korean group used this kiln to salt fire.