A woman with a wide‑brimmed hat and patterned top stands in front of a brick building at the Spode Museum, holding a historic biscuit service that has been sold to visitors in the UK and now to Japan.
Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton, the founder of Peak and Pottery Tours, is turning Stoke‑on‑Trent’s ancient ceramics into a living, sustainable industry by guiding Japanese tourists through the “Blue Room” and other exhibitions of pottery artistry.
She says the idea stemmed from a BBC report that many pottery firms were “falling into administration.” Her father‑in‑law’s remark about people no longer buying a dinner set convinced her that Japanese consumers—prone to artisan taste—would be eager to bring those pieces home.
Since launching her tours, tea sets and dinner plates have hit the shelves of Japanese shops, and customers eagerly explore the scene, “oh my god I'm in Stoke, I'm in Spode,” the curator reports, turning the museum into a memorable cultural landmark.
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In addition to pottery, Kawakami‑Shotton partners with The Rabbit Hole Tea Room, where a pop‑up in Japan’s Nihonbashi sold over 2,000 scones daily—an eco‑friendly demonstration of local food production meeting global demand.
The collaboration showcases how small‑scale, climate‑conscious production can thrive through cultural tourism, keeping pottery traditions alive and fostering sustainable economic growth for Stoke‑on‑Trent’s communities.
