KANAZAWA -- If a vending machine that provides colorful accessories and knickknacks sounds appealing, look no farther than Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture. Local artists and retailers have created a vending machine that sells small items made with the prefecture's signature Kutani porcelain. The aim is to increase the appeal of Kutani ware to tourists from other countries.
The machines offer seven kinds of objects such as earrings, rings, amulets and ornaments in the shapes of cats and Japanese sweets. They are made from fragments of Kutani porcelain left over during the process of making other ceramic wares.
Unlike the more common plates and bowls, the idea was to offer things that foreign tourists could quickly buy as souvenirs.
According to the prefectural government, shipments of Kutani ware peaked in fiscal 1990 at 16.5 billion yen. By fiscal 2014, the figure was 4.6 billion yen -- less than 30 percent of the peak.
The opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line in 2015 has brought large numbers of tourists to the prefecture, and Kutani ceramics have enjoyed something of a revival, particularly among tourists from countries such as Taiwan and China.
The vending machines were unveiled at the Kutani Chawan Matsuri festival held in Nomi in May. The items on offer could be purchased for 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen.
The artists and retailers are planning to place vending machines in the Tokyo metropolitan area, such as at Haneda Airport.
Nobuyuki Shimasaki, 61, who runs a shop in Nomi that sells Kutani ware, was involved in developing the vending machine.
"I hope foreigners come into contact with the charms of Kutani porcelain through the vending machines and become fans," he said.
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