The woman promoting the UK Potteries region in Japan

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Yuri Kawakami-Shotton has been praised for promoting Stoke-on-Trent and its ceramics heritage to Japanese audiences through tours linked to the Spode Museum. Kawakami-Shotton runs Peak and Pottery Tours, bringing visitors from Japan to the city and introducing them to the wider Potteries region, an area historically associated with British ceramic production.

According to the BBC, she said her efforts were prompted by seeing a BBC News report about pottery companies entering administration. She believed Japanese visitors would be interested in English-made dinnerware, museums and the story of Stoke-on-Trent’s pottery industry. Kawakami-Shotton said the response from her customers has been enthusiastic, with some visitors treating Spode as a landmark destination.

Michael Escolme, manager of the Spode Museum, credited Kawakami-Shotton with helping the museum connect with Japanese visitors both in person and online. Her tours include spaces such as the museum’s Blue Room, and she also takes guests to The Rabbit Hole Tea Room in Stoke-on-Trent.

The BBC also reported that Kawakami-Shotton helped The Rabbit Hole take its afternoon tea offering to Japan in 2023 through a pop-up in Nihonbashi. Owner Lee Greenhalgh said the venture greatly increased daily scone sales, reaching 2,000 a day during the event. The story highlights how local heritage tourism and food businesses in Stoke-on-Trent are using international interest, particularly from Japan, to support awareness of the city’s ceramics identity at a time when parts of the pottery sector have faced commercial pressure.