In brief
Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton, a Japanese national running Peak and Pottery Tours, has become a bridge between the historic ceramics of Stoke‑on‑Trent and eager Japanese consumers. Motivated by a BBC news story on the possible decline of the local pottery industry, she launched tours that showcase the Spode Museum and the broader region. Her outreach has seen English dinner plates sell well in Japan, while a pop‑up of the local tea room The Rabbit Hole grew to 2,000 scones per day during its September event in Nihonbashi. The initiative draws praise from museum staff and local business owners, illustrating how cultural exchange can revitalize traditional sectors.
When a BBC live‑stream highlighted that many pottery firms in England might collapse, a Japanese visitor to the region named Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton said she could do something to reverse the trend. She now runs Peak and Pottery Tours at the Spode Museum in Stoke‑on‑Trent and has pushed the city’s heritage into the Japanese market.
Her strategy is simple: show English ceramics to a country that already loves fine dinner sets. Tour guests taste the craftsmanship of yellow‑and‑blue bowls, see how they’re fired, and then buy them as souvenirs or gifts. “In Japan people would buy them, and they would come to the museum,” she explained. Since the tours began, the sales of English dinner sets have steadily increased in Japan.
Mrs Kawakami‑Shotton’s work has also benefited local businesses. She takes visitors to The Rabbit Hole Tea Room, a boutique in the city. Owner Lee Greenhalgh recalls their pop‑up event in Nihonbashi last September: “We moved from a few hundred scones a day to 2,000.” The event proved that Japanese tea culture can translate to crown‑type sweets, generating a high‑volume, low‑risk market segment.
Manager Michael Escolme of the Spode Museum praised her contribution: “She’s a valued team member, bringing Japanese visitors to us both in person and virtually.” Profiles of her tours and the museum’s Blue Room can be found on the museum’s website, welcoming future visitors from around the world.
The initiative is a prime example of how cultural heritage groups can harness international interest to keep traditional industries alive. By promoting Stoke‑on‑Trent’s pottery and hospitality brands abroad, the city preserves its identity while opening new revenue streams for its artisans and businesses.
