An outdoor ceramic market known as Toki Matsuri (lit. ceramic festival), is held annually in the summer.  It is one of the biggest pottery festivals in Japan where potters from various regions around the country assemble and set up booths along Gojo street beginning at the Higashioji intersection toward the Kamo river.  This year, the festival was said to have attracted over five hundred thousand pottery enthusiasts.

The Kiyomizu area was once a bustling pottery town.  However, due to environmental issues with the smoke from the kilns, the pottery industry has since relocated to a neighboring town called Yamashina where the Kiyomizu-danchi has been developed to continue in the production of Kiyomizu ware.  Kiyomizu ware or Kiyomizu yaki as it is commonly known, dates back to the 5th century and is famous for its refined designs and elegance.