In brief
Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton, operator of Peak and Pottery Tours at the Spode Museum, has turned Stoke‑on‑Trent into a hot spot for Japanese visitors. Inspired by a BBC report on pottery firm closures, she highlights the city’s iconic dinner sets, which have become a hit abroad. Her initiatives extend beyond the museum, taking guests to The Rabbit Hole Tea Room where a pop‑up event sold 2,000 scones a day. The Spode Museum’s manager lauds her role in expanding the reach of the region’s ceramics industry.
Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton, who runs Peak and Pottery Tours at the Spode Museum, has become a leading voice in promoting Stoke‑on‑Trent’s pottery to Japanese visitors.
Her inspiration came after seeing a BBC news segment about pottery firms in the city struggling to stay afloat. “My father‑in‑law said: ‘Oh, no one is buying dinner sets anymore,’” she recalled. She responded, “Japanese people would buy; they’d visit the museum and explore the heritage. I can help promote this for the city.”
Since launching her tours, the ceramic dinner sets, many of which are produced in England, have flown off shelves in Japan. Visitors often remark that they are “in the moment of a legend” when they see the iconic Spode ceramics.
Beyond the museum, Kawakami‑Shotton guides groups to The Rabbit Hole Tea Room, an iconic local café. After a pop‑up in Nihonbashi in September 2023, the café’s sales surged from a few hundred scones a day to 2,000 scones daily.
Michael Escolme, manager of the Spode Museum, praised her efforts: “She’s been vital, bringing real‑life and virtual Japanese visitors to our space.”
