From Stoke‑on‑Trent to Tokyo
Yuri Kawakami‑Shotton, a resident of Stoke‑on‑Trent, leads tours at the Spode Museum that have turned into a cultural bridge between the UK’s pottery capital and Japan.
After seeing a BBC News report on the looming collapse of local pottery firms, Yuri felt inspired: “My father‑in‑law said, ‘No one’s buying dinner sets anymore,’ and I thought, ‘Japanese people would love these.” She began publicising the museum to Japanese visitors both in person and online.
The result is a surge in popularity for classic English dinner sets. Japanese tourists arrive at the museum, take a guided walk, and leave with a blue‑and‑white plate or vase that quickly sells in high‑end retail spaces back home.
Yuri’s tours also extend to The Rabbit Hole tea room, a local café that launched a pop‑up event in Nihonbashi, Japan. The event turned a modest daily sale of a few hundred scones into 2,000 per day, driven by the café’s unique offerings and the cultural curiosity of Japanese patrons.
Michael Escolme, the museum manager, notes, “She’s been a valued member of our team, bringing Japanese visitors to the museum in real life and virtually.” His endorsement underlines how Yuri’s outreach benefits both the local economy and cultural exchange.
For more on the Spode Museum’s heritage, visit spodemuseumtrust.org.
