“Yoshino” tableware elegantly blends East and West.
NORITAKE CO., LIMITED
By Chiho Iuchi - Staff writer
The Noritake Garden is a large-scale urban green space that Noritake Co., Ltd. created in 2001 as part of projects commemorating the company’s centennial. The idea was to reiterate the importance of a manufacturer setting down roots in a society and continuing to be a company integral to society through the project.
By planting about 800 trees and creating a biotope, where plants, insects, fish and birds of various types live together, Noritake transformed 48,000 sq. meters of its former factory grounds into a “forest” in the city.
Embodying the corporate culture that Noritake has fostered for 100 years and tableware that is deeply connected to food culture, the facilities, including the museum, gallery, shops and restaurants, are arranged in harmony with the forest and making best use of the original factory buildings.
A craftsman paints a design on a vase at the Craft Center in the Noritake Garden.
NORITAKE CO., LIMITED
Stepping onto the site, visitors will be pleasantly surprised to find in such an urban area a lush and expansive garden with a brook flowing through it and a fountain with Noritake’s iconic red-brick buildings as a backdrop.
At the Craft Center, visitors can learn how high-grade ceramics are manufactured where a display shows the forming process ? from the original mold production through to glaze firing ? in creating bone china. There, they can also see accomplished craftspeople draw, apply decals or paint various colorful and delicate designs. The work being done here is the actual production, not just displays for the public. Since basic porcelain manufacturing is mainly done overseas, only those products with high added value are created by these experienced Japanese craftspeople.
Also, at the china painting experience corner, visitors can try their own hands at painting plates and mugs, which will be delivered to them after firing.
Upstairs from the Craft Center is the Noritake Museum. Displays include a collection of “Old Noritake” made by the company in the early 1900s; Japan’s first set of Western-style dinnerware created by the company in 1914; and a variety of modern Noritake tableware.
Old Noritake plates, vases and jars finished with various techniques, including gorgeous moriage (raised decorations on the surface of the porcelain), gold impaste, beading, mold and etching, boast colorful designs, varying from flowers, fruit, birds, fish and other animals to Native Americans, hunting and landscapes. Visitors will be impressed by the Japanese craftsmanship in response to the demands of their American customers of the time and the entrepreneurial spirit the company showed in working for two decades in developing Japan’s first Western-style dinnerware set.
In the commercial area, four shops are on hand to satisfy any visitor’s needs from high-end products and dinnerware for home as well as hotels and restaurants to everyday tableware and kitchen goods from around the world as well as various outlet items.
At the Square Cafe next to the shopping zone, visitors can take a relaxing tea break, while the Kiln restaurant offers creative European cuisine from the French and Italian traditions. Both the cafe and restaurant allow visitors to enjoy their food and beverages served in harmony with a variety of Noritake tableware.
The restaurant and the garden are sometimes used as venues for weddings and the vast space can also serve as a local disaster preparedness center in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster.
Welcoming around 350,000 annual visitors, including nearby residents and tourists from around Japan and overseas, the garden is a testament to the pride and efforts of the people who lived in the days of Japan’s modernization.
Bunshodo Building 2F, 3-4-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Noritake Ginza is a 1-minute walk from Exit A13,
Ginza Station on the Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya lines;
Noritake Ginza not only sells dinnerware, but also works to educate consumers. NORITAKE CO., LIMITED
Opened in October 2012, Noritake Ginza is a directly managed store of Noritake Co., Ltd. The store harkens back to the company’s first incarnation, Morimura-gumi, which was founded in the Ginza district in 1876.
Since completing Japan’s first ever Western-style dinnerware set, Noritake has continued to produce fine, high-quality ceramics. In October 2011, the company announced the launch of “Masterpiece Collection,” high-end tableware produced with technology and craftsmanship that have been nurtured over the company’s more-than-100- year history. In February 2012, the company began sales of “cher blanc,” an elegant range of casual dinnerware ideal for both everyday use and for entertaining.
On display and sale at Noritake Ginza are dinnerware sets and fine porcelain pieces, which evoke an upscale, luxurious image. Additionally, the store’s “cher blanc” corner will inspire a new cuisine environment.
The store also has an area showcasing a range of dinnerware for commercial use aimed at hoteliers and restaurateurs.
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