In October 2023 I went on my first trip to Japan to undertake a woodfiring workshop with John Dix. The workshop ran over three weeks consisting of making, glazing and firing in an Anagama kiln. There were in total six of us participating in the workshop from all over the world along with Aarti Manik who was assisting John. John is an excellent teacher and did many demonstrations and helped us create our pots. I came away with several new techniques which I plan to incorporate in my work in the future. We used Shigaraki clay which is very coarse and full of felspar inclusions. We fired the Anagama kiln working in shifts for 5 days which was the longest I’ve been involved in firing a kiln. It certainly requires a lot of dedication and perseverance. It was a fascinating and memorable experience. Opening the kiln after waiting 6 days for the kiln to cool was exciting and full of anticipation. As ever with woodfiring there was a full range of effects. I was particularly interested to see the results from the unglazed pots near the firebox. Overall I was very pleased with the pots I made and brought several of them home.
I also had the opportunity to do some traveling. I went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Shigaraki, Imbe (Bizen), Himeji, Hiroshima, Kobe, Kanazawa and the Kiso Valley. The Kiso Valley is within the “Japan Alps” and lies between Kyoto and Tokyo. It was the main route between these two cities during the Edo period. It was very pretty and had all the lovely autumn leaves. I did a couple of great walks between ancient towns. I had a wonderful time in Japan and would love to return at some stage.
David Mason Pottery 
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