Kyushu Spring Pottery Fairs at Golden Week: Arita, Hasami, Karatsu and 4 More (2026 Dates, Parking and Shuttles; 2027 Not Announced)

Kyushu’s biggest pottery fairs fall on the Golden Week holidays. In 2026, Arita, Hasami and Karatsu all ran on the same seven days, April 29 to May 5. The 2027 dates have not been announced on the official sites (checked November 2, 2026), so the table below shows the 2026 dates as a guide. In 2027, April 29 is a Thursday and May 5 a Wednesday.

In short

Seven spring fairs in 2026: Onoko (April 18–19), Ago (April 24–26), then Arita, Hasami and Karatsu (April 29–May 5), Koishiwara (May 3–5) and Ichinose (May 3–6).
Hasami charged ¥1,000 to park and ran a ¥500 shuttle bus from Arita Station. Koishiwara was free, with a free shuttle from JR Hikosan Station.
Arita says it draws about 1.2 million people over the fair, and its site lists 4 large car parks and a shuttle bus stop in the Izumiyama district.
For the autumn fairs, see Kyushu Autumn Pottery Fairs 2026.
The official sites do not say whether staff speak English; ask the organizers before you go.

Checked with official pages on November 2, 2026. Dates are 2026 dates.

1. Spring pottery fairs in Kyushu: 2026 dates, parking and shuttles

Each fair’s organizer and Crossroad Fukuoka

Fair	Where	2026 dates	Parking and shuttle
Onoko-yaki Spring Festival	Yame City, Fukuoka	April 18–19	Not stated
Ago-yaki Spring Pottery Fair	Fukuchi Town, Fukuoka	April 24–26	Not stated
Arita Pottery Fair, 122nd	Arita Town, Saga	April 29–May 5	4 large car parks and a shuttle bus stop in the Izumiyama district
Hasami Pottery Festival, 68th	Hasami Town, Nagasaki	April 29–May 5, 9:00–17:00	¥1,000 per car, ¥500 shuttle from Arita Station
Karatsu Yakimon Festival, 14th	Karatsu City, Saga	April 29–May 5	Not stated
Koishiwara Spring Village Festival	Toho Village, Fukuoka	May 3–5, 9:00–17:00	Free parking, free shuttle from JR Hikosan Station
Ichinose-yaki Spring Pottery Fair	Ukiha City, Fukuoka	May 3–6	Not stated

The Fukuoka dates are from the Fukuoka tourism site Crossroad Fukuoka. Hours are shown only where the organizers state them. Where the parking column says “Not stated”, the pages checked did not give it. The Karatsu site did not name the venue.

2. Arita Pottery Fair: the biggest, and the most crowded

Arita Chamber of Commerce

The Arita fair’s official site says it ended on May 5, 2026, its seventh day, after its 122nd edition. The fair’s own introduction says about 1.2 million people come, mostly from Kyushu, and its page on the shopping streets says the Izumiyama district has four large car parks and a shuttle bus stop during the fair. The site also has a booking form for travel agencies reserving parking for large buses in advance. It does not give parking prices. The fair began in 1896, when a clearance sale was held alongside a ceramics exhibition.

Official video: commercial for the 119th Arita Pottery Fair (Arita Pottery Fair official channel, in Japanese)

3. Hasami Pottery Festival: parking and shuttle

Hasami Pottery Festival organizers

The 68th festival ran from April 29 to May 5, 2026, from 9:00 to 17:00 at Yakimono Park Hiroba. Parking cost ¥1,000 per car, tax included. A shuttle bus ran between near Arita Station and the venue for ¥500 (free for high school students and under). The first bus left Arita Station at 8:30 and the last at 16:30, about every 30 minutes. Another shuttle ran from Nagasaki Canon, with the first bus at 8:00 on April 29 and 8:30 on the other days.

Official video: Hasami Pottery Festival 2023, one-minute version (Hasami-yaki Promotion Association official channel, in Japanese)

4. Koishiwara: free, with a shuttle from the station

Koishiwara organizers

The spring festival in 2026 ran from May 3 to 5, 9:00 to 17:00, with free admission. Parking was at Koishiwara Ground and at the Koishiwara Pottery Traditional Industry Hall. A free shuttle bus ran from JR Hikosan Station to Gallery Koishiwara. In 2026 there was no direct bus from Tenjin or Hakata. The organizers’ phone line, 0946-74-2121, does not connect during the festival.

5. What is known about 2027?

None of the official sites for Arita, Hasami and Karatsu mentioned 2027 dates when checked. In 2026 the spring fairs were held at Golden Week, but the 2027 dates may differ, so wait for each site’s announcement. Arita: arita-toukiichi.or.jp. Hasami: hasamitoukimatsuri.com. Karatsu: karatsu-yakimon.com.