The Tajimi mascot Unagappa celebrates its ten year anniversary on August 16, and there will be major events held on the occasion. The party starts in the Projection Mapping building TREE by NAKED next to Tajimi Station (North Exit), at 10:00. A second segment of the celebrations start at 10:40 and lasts until noon. Read more about Unagappa on the Mayor's greeting page.

Part 1
Location: TREE by NAKED, Tajimi
Time: 10:00 - 10:40
Tickets: Discounted entrance fee, 
Program: Crowning ceremony, Anniversary Album Announcement etc.

Part 2
Location: Kokei Square (public park ca. 1 min. walk from TREE by NAKED), Map
Time: 10:40 - 12:00
Program: Soap Bubble event, kids dance, balloon event, photo session etc.
The first 200 participants will receive an original Cup Cake bowl from SWEETS by NAKED

Tajimi Tourist Association plans to open a VR-enhanced English language web site on August 1st to make the city extremely accessible to foreigners interested in Japan.

Tajimi is a mid-sized town on the countryside of Gifu prefecture on Japan's main island Honshu. Its Tourist Association decided to launch the virtual reality initiative in order to solve two major problems facing foreigners who want to experience life on the Japanese countryside - the lack of information in English, which will be solved by a wealth of carefully crafted stories in English, and the very vague image of Japan that most foreigners have. With VR, you can "try-before-you-fly", which has proven to be a strong motivator for travelers to go places they would never have considered otherwise.

Another unique aspect of the site is that it is crafted by a European - Hans Karlsson, of Swedish origin - and that therefor the city is presented entirely as viewed by a foreign resident. Karlsson has been given free hands to present a genuine and truthful picture of the town, very different from the brochure-style sites that dominate Japanese city promotion.

This site will provide unique experiences to anyone with a cheap pair of VR goggles and a smartphone. Visitors to the VR universe of Tajimi will be able to feel immersed by spaces such as local pubs and restaurants, pottery workshops, natural environments and more. Even without goggles users will be able to access the VR imagery just by using their normal browser on a smartphone or PC. As the ease of use and affordability of VR as well as AR (Augmented Reality) can be expected to improve exponentially, Tajimi Tourist Association plans to provide ever more impressive experiences to a growing audience over the next years.

No special software is needed, and quick instructions are available on the site to get started in two minutes.

The opening date for the International Ceramics Festival 17' Mino is approaching.

"​Since the first festival in 1986, the International Ceramics Festival Mino has been held with the aim of supporting the growth of the ceramics industry and the enhancement of culture through the global exchange of ceramics design and culture with its theme of "International exchange of soil and flame -From You, From Now, From Here.
The festival has been constantly held every three years as a triennale, and this will be the 11th such event.

​The International Ceramics Competition Mino, Japan" is the main event of the festival. In the last competition in 2014 we had an amazing 2,579 entries from 1,247 applicants coming from 60 countries and areas around the world. This event is an internationally recognized world-class ceramic competition and all selected excellent works will be exhibited at Ceramic Park MINO.
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Furthermore, a wide variety of attractive events of the ceramic industries of Tajimi city, Mizunami city and Toki city will offer the chance to come in contact with the appeal of the cultural climate and the historical treasure of Mino region as well as contribute to the development of the local region."

(Excerpt from the official Festival site)

Built to resemble a hill being excavated for clay, the Tajimi Tile Museum has proven to be an even greater success than originally hoped for. Crowds are flowing steadily to the uniquely designed building, where you can experience creating tile-art and view everyday tile products for the home, such as bath tubs and ovens.

Kasahara town, home to the museum and a large number of tile producing companies, has hardly been high on the list of tourists visiting Gifu prefecture in the past, but the seemingly mundane theme of the museum seems to have a strange draw on travelers, especially young women, who enjoy the workshops. The locals are now busily to capitalize on the popularity of the museum, by arranging unique events such as concerts under the starry night sky, which can be viewed from the very pleasant, moody top floor of the building. Few westerners have yet discovered this museum, however, as foreign visitors still tend to be of Asian origin, according to our sources.
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​The creative mind behind the museum is architect and architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori . Fujimori has created many well-known buildings, such as the recent Kusayane and Douyane, the Taneya sales office and headquarters in Omihachiman City.

He is currently  professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo,
specially-appointed professor of Kogakuin University and Director of Edo-Tokyo Museum. Fujimori specializes in the history of architecture, and he has been engaged in designing architecture since he was 45.