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Agano · JP

Niigata Tile Hall Kawaratie

Kawaratie is a hands-on industrial-tourism hall in the Yasuda district of Agano, Niigata, built to celebrate and let visitors play with the region's famed roof tiles. Opened in the summer of 2023, it is the starting point for the Yasuda Kawara Road, a route lined with quirky tile sculptures, and a place where you can press your own miniature demon-roof-tile (onigawara) out of clay. The hall introduces Yasuda tile, made in what is described as the northernmost tile-producing region in Japan — a craft roughly two centuries old, shaped by heavy snow country. Its clay is rich in iron and fired to a deep, weighty color, valued for strength, durability and a quiet beauty that lends roofs character. Inside, visitors can browse the free exhibition of tiles and photographs, pose on the popular rooftop photo spot, watch the entrance tile-wall decoration and short film, and join clay workshops — making it a satisfying half-day stop for families and craft-lovers between the hills and onsens of Agano.