It was thanks to Craft Inn (see details of The Indigo Room and The Washi Room) that we discovered Yame, a historical town with picturesque black-tile-white-wall architecture, located about an hour drive away from Fukuoka. We stayed here for two nights, and while I initially worried about running out of things to do in this small town, it turned out that we barely had enough time to explore all that Yame has to offer. With its rich natural resources and long history as a merchant town, the diversity of crafts concentrated in Yame is truly impressive. From Kurume kasuri textiles, buddhist altars, lanterns, washi paper, woodwork, bamboo-work, and pottery, to Yame tea and Japanese sake…there’s just so much to experience.
因為想體驗 Craft Inn 的住宿（細節請看之前寫的藍染房與和紙房介紹），我們來到距離福岡車程一小時的小鎮 “八女”。原本有點擔心在這裡待三天兩夜會不會無聊，事後才發現時間根本不夠用。因為有著富裕的自然與人文資源，八女過去曾是商人聚集之地，至今仍保留了許多獨特的手工藝文化，從久留米絣、佛台、燈籠、和紙、木工、竹工、陶藝，到八女茶、日本酒…等，實在有太多值得放慢腳步品味和體驗的。
We visited during the late March sakura season. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom when we had arrived, rendering the town extra dreamy with their pale pink petals.
在白牆黑瓦、古色古香的小鎮裡散步本身就是一種享受，而且我們到訪時正好是櫻花滿開的季節，四處都飄散著白和淡粉色的浪漫。
It was lovely even in the rain, little Em especially enjoyed wandering about in her raincoat.
即使下雨也無妨，小Em愛極了穿著雨衣在古鎮裡到處閒逛。
Here are a few shops and restaurants we visited during the two days.
以下是一些我們在這三天逛到的商店和吃到的餐廳。
Yabeya Konomi Honke 矢部屋 許斐本家
Add 地址: Motomachi 126, Yame City, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站: http://www.konomien.jp/
The Yame area is well known as the top tea grower in Japan, its production of the high quality “Gyokuro” tea is in fact number one in the country. Yabeya Konomi Honke, established between 1704 – 1710, is the oldest tea wholesaler in all of Kyushu. It’s the perfect place to buy tea for yourself, or as souvenirs for friends and family back home.
矢部屋是整個九州最老的茶葉批發商，自江戶時代開始就經營著貨物（以茶葉為主）交易，也是八女當地最具代表性的茶行。許斐本家就在 Craft Inn 藍染房隔壁，店內販售著八女產的各種等級茶葉，是給自己或親朋好友買伴手禮的好去處。
Sabou Maruya 茶房 まるや
Add 地址: 154 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站: www.instagram.com/maruya_sabou/
At Sabou Maruya, Ms. Asuka Hori offers the ochamagoto tea ceremony, a more relaxed version of the traditional tea ceremony for guests to experience Yame matcha without the usual rigid rules. The tea room itself is tastefully decorated, and it was lovely to be able to use the beautiful cups and utensils made by local craftsmen of Yame. We got to try our hands on making matcha, which was then enjoyed alongside seasonal wagashi from Kikuyu, a long-standing Japanese confectionery shop in town. The session is about one hour (3800 yen/person), and can be reserved via Craft Inn or UNA Labs.
茶房 まるや (Maruya) 的女主人堀アスカ（Asuka Hori）透過輕鬆的茶會，讓客人在無需拘泥於日本傳統茶道繁複規矩的情況下，認識並享用八女的綠茶。茶室簡樸而雅緻，桌上擺放著八女當地職人所製作的茶具，可以根據自己的喜好選擇使用。我們在 Hori-san 的指導下用茶筅將抹茶攪打出細緻濃稠的小泡沫，再搭配當地名店 Kikuya 的季節和菓子，是個相當美好愉快的午後體驗。過程大約1小時，可以通過Craft Inn或UNA Labs預定（費用3800日幣/人）。
そば季里 史蔵 Fuminokura
Add 地址: 154 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Opened in 2010, Fuminokura is a soba eatery situated right next to Maruya Sabou. There’s a board near the entrance that lists the origin of the buckwheat flour used that day, which would be mixed with a local buckwheat flour cultivated by the owner himself. Opt for the Kikori Zen set which comes with soba, tempura, tofu burger, rice, pickles…for just 1000 yen! I would suggest lining up 10 minutes before the restaurant opens to get the first seating, otherwise the wait can be over an hour long, as seats are very limited.
2010年就開幕的そば季里 史蔵是一家在當地相當有人氣的蕎麥麵專賣店，店入口的黑板上寫著當天所使用的蕎麥來源，並跟老闆自家耕種收割的蕎麥混合後，做成當日的蕎麥麵。我們選了每日限量的 “きこり膳”（Kikori Zen）套餐，包含了蕎麥麵、天婦羅、豆腐漢堡、飯、漬菜…美味而令人滿足的一餐，而且居然只要1000日圓。建議在開門前10分鐘就來排隊，因為店內座位非常少，若沒坐到第一輪，可能就要等上好一陣子嘍。
とんかつ肉料理 吉岡 Tonkatsu Yoshioka
Add 地址: 196 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站：www.instagram.com/tonkatsu_yoshioka
Yoshioka is a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) specialty restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and many semi-private rooms, perfect for those traveling with kids like us. The lunch set includes a roast beef appetizer, fried pork cutlet made with Kinako pork from Hazama Farm (located in Miyakonojo, Southern Kyushu), and coffee with ice-cream to finish.
”とんかつ肉料理 吉岡“ 是豬排飯專賣店，氣氛優雅而且有不少小包廂，很適合像我們一樣帶小孩的客人。午間套餐包含了烤牛肉前菜、使用位於南九州Hazama牧場養殖的Kinako豬肉所製作的厚炸豬排，以及收尾的咖啡和冰淇淋做結尾。並不是令人驚艷的美味，但吃了非常舒服的一餐。
Hayama 葉山
Add 地址：13-1 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站：www.instagram.com/hayama_kamo
A duck specialty shop which I already talked about in this post. Absolutely lovely, a first choice for dinner if staying in Yame. Details here.
葉山是鴨料理專賣店，我已在這一篇裡寫了很多細節，就不在這裡重複了。總之，非常推薦！住在八女的話，晚餐一定要來這裡吃。
Asahiya Liquor Shop 朝日屋酒店
Add 地址: 2-105 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站: www.instagram.com/asahiya_yame1
Asahiya Liquor Shop is, as the name indicates, a place to get your local sake and shochu. It’s located in the former Yame Gunyakusho (County Office Building), and at the back of the shop is a large space that was being used for old movie poster exhibition during the time of our visit. The owner, like everyone we met in Yame, was super friendly and took his time to tell us about his shop as well as the building’s unique history. A short but warm encounter that made our stay in Yame extra special.
朝日屋酒店是清酒和燒酎的專賣店，地點非常特別，是原本的八女郡役所（政府行政中心）的所在處。店後方有大片挑高的空間用來辦活動和展覽，我們到訪時正在展出老電影海報。和我們在八女碰到的所有人一樣，朝日屋酒店的老闆非常熱情友善，跟我們介紹了很多關於店與郡役所建築的趣事，是一段雖然短暫但很溫暖的邂逅。
Machiya Brot 町屋ブロード
Add 地址：234 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站：www.instagram.com/machiyabrot
A cute little bakery located in a traditional town house, selling breads made using a koji starter. Perfect for picking up some breakfast or snacks for the road. (Koji is a strain of Aspergillus oryzae, a fungus used for various culinary purposes, including the production of alcoholic beverages like sake, miso, mirin, soy sauce…etc. Using koji in bread gives it a subtle sake-like or slightly cheesy flavor.)
一間在民宅裡的可愛麵包店，主打用米麴酵母製成的麵包，買來做為早餐或路上的點心都非常適合。不過只有五六日開門，看準日期再去，免得撲空了喔。
Yame Fukushima Okiya 八女福島置屋
Add 地址：58 Motomachi, Yame, Fukuoka 834-0031
Website 網站：www.instagram.com/okiya_cya_utuwa_neji
Okiya, tucked away in a corner near Yame’s Fukushima Hachimangu Shrine, is a stylish two-story building with a tableware shop “Neji” on the first floor, and a gallery / event space “okiya galerie” on the second floor. The product selection, which comes from all over Japan, is really beautiful – I went home with a heavy bag of bowls and plates and forks (all well-wrapped to withstand international travel). Incidentally, the owner also runs a tea shop called “AO Cafe” close by, if you are looking for somewhere to rest your feet.
Okiya就在八女福島八幡宮的旁邊，一樓是商店 “Neji”，二樓是展覽/活動空間 “okiya galerie”（可惜我們到訪時並未開放）。Neji的選品來自日本各地，各種美麗的杯盤雜貨，很容易就讓人失心瘋買一大袋。順帶一提，Okiya的老闆在附近還有一家名為AO Cafe的茶店，也可以去坐坐。
