[Yame Day Trip] Introducing Must-See Sightseeing Spots and Recommended Cuisine

Hello. I'm YOKO, a travel and food writer.

As a travel writer with 29 years of experience, I'd like to suggest a day trip driving course that you can easily take from Fukuoka. This time, we'll be touring the Yame area, known as the birthplace of Yame tea.

There are actually many charming spots that only those in the know will know about! Stroll through the atmospheric streets, savor delicious gourmet food, make a wish at a unique shrine, and finally relax in a hot spring.

We will guide you through an ambitious course that will allow you to fully enjoy the charms of Yame using all five senses!

Yame Fukushima Shirakabe Street: Feel like you've traveled back in time

About an hour's drive from Fukuoka city, the first place we visit is Yame Fukushima Shirakabe Street in the center of Yame city.

Yame flourished as a commercial center from the Edo period through the Meiji period, and this street is lined with townhouses and merchant houses that still retain a strong resemblance to those days.

The beautiful townscape, lined with white walls and lattice doors, has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings by the national government, and just walking around it makes you feel the vitality and culture of the time.

Image: Yame City

Along the road, there are stylish cafes and general stores that have been renovated from old houses, as well as stores selling Yame's traditional crafts. It's fun to find a place you like and stop by during your stroll.

There is a large parking lot nearby (Yame Traditional Crafts Museum, free of charge), so we recommend taking your time walking around. Enter the world of timeless Japanese landscapes!

Image: Yame City

＜スポット情報＞
■八女福島白壁通り
住所：福岡県八女市本町
TEL：0943-22-6644（茶のくに観光案内所）

For lunch, try the delicious pork cutlet at Tonkatsu Niku Ryori Yoshioka

If you get hungry after strolling along Shirakabe-dori, make a reservation for lunch at the popular restaurant "Tonkatsu Niku Ryori Yoshioka." The restaurant, renovated from a traditional Japanese house built approximately 150 years ago, blends seamlessly into the white-walled streetscape.

Image: YOKO

The moment you step inside, you'll be greeted by a warm and comfortable atmosphere, made possible by frosted glass, wooden-framed windows, and reclaimed materials such as beams and pillars. Antiques are scattered throughout the space, exuding a modern flair.

Image: YOKO

The meat dishes served are all carefully selected by the proprietress, who has a career in meat as the wife of a third-generation butcher in Kurume. The menu includes pork cutlets, steaks, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and more.

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Three times softer than you'd imagine! "Thick and voluminous" delicious pork cutlet (Yame City)

The restaurant uses Japanese Black Beef from Miyazaki and Kagoshima, as well as Miyakonojo's brand pork "Kinako Pork." The "Kinako Pork Loin Cutlet Set" (2,380 yen/160g) is especially delicious, with tender and juicy meat. When eaten with rock salt, the meat's natural sweetness is accentuated, making it incredibly delicious!

Image: YOKO

The "Specially Selected Kuroge Wagyu Sirloin Steak Course" (4,900 yen) uses A4-grade Kuroge Wagyu beef from Kyushu, which has the perfect balance of lean meat, marbling, and tenderness.

Image: YOKO

The main course includes steak, roast Japanese black beef, salad, kinako pork fillet cutlet, rice, red miso soup, coffee, and ice cream.

Please enjoy a luxurious time savoring delicious meat in the charming atmosphere of an old Japanese house.

＜Click on the store name for more details about the store ↓＞
■ Tonkatsu Meat Dishes Yoshioka
Address: 194 Honmachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Opening hours: 11:00-15:00 (last orders 14:00), open in the evenings only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 17:00-21:00 (last orders 20:00) *No infants allowed
Closed: Wednesdays

Visit Fukushima Yahata, where you can enjoy unique goshuin stamps and amulets

Fukushima Yahata is a must-visit on your trip to Yame. It is a historic shrine that has been worshipped by local people for over 360 years since its founding in 1661. The enshrined deities are Emperor Ojin, Empress Jingu, and Takeuchi no Sukune, and it is said to bring good fortune in bringing success and victory.

Photo: Fukushima Yahata *The photo shows Shiro-chan, the official mascot of Fukushima Yahata

What attracts the many visitors here are the unique goshuin (temple seals) and amulets that cannot be found anywhere else.

One of these is the dog series of paper cutting goshuin stamps, which was created in collaboration with a paper cutting artist from Yame, and was created in response to the large number of people who visit the temple to pray for their pets.

The design changes with the seasons, and the second installment of the series, "Poodle Goshuin" (initial offering: 2,000 yen, while supplies last), will be available from August 2025. Take a look at this adorable goshuin!

Image: Fukushima Yahata

The charms are also unique, such as the "Happy Prayer Charm" (800 yen each), which features animals praying with their hands together. There are five types (from left in the photo): rabbit, deer, calico cat, Shiba Inu, and white fox.

Image: Fukushima Yahata

<Store Information>
■Fukushima Yahata
Address: 105 Honmachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Reception desk: 9:00-16:30
HP:https://fukushimahachimangu.or.jp/
Instagram:@ fukushimahachimangu.official

Enjoy tea time at Kamikake Chaya in the grounds of Fukushima Yahata.

Kamikake Chaya, located within the grounds of Fukushima Yahata, is the perfect spot to take a break after worshiping.

Image: Kamikake Chaya

The interior of the restaurant, which was renovated from a building that was approximately 100 years old, is a calm space filled with Japanese charm, where you can relax and forget about time.

Image: Kamikake Chaya

The greatest feature of this teahouse is that everything served, from the food to the sweets, is considered auspicious! All ingredients are purified, and the staff and kitchen are also purified, a thoroughness that can only be achieved at a shrine.

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A cafe run by the chief priest of the popular shrine "Fukushima Yahata" has opened inside the shrine (Yame City, Fukuoka)

The recommended dish is the "Goshuin Tiramisu" (1,000 yen), which uses matcha to represent a temple seal. The combination of rich tiramisu cream and chewy rice flour dumplings is exquisite.

Image: Kamikake Chaya

Enjoy a moment of tranquility while savoring these auspicious sweets.

<Store Information>
■ Kamikake Teahouse
Address: 104-1 Honmachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Business hours: 11:00-16:00
Closed: Wednesdays
HP:https://kamikake-chaya.jp/

End your drive with a soothing bath at Bengara Village

To conclude your trip to Yame, head to Bengara Village, a popular spot loved by locals. Equipped with a spacious public bath, open-air bath, and sauna, it's the perfect place to unwind after a long day.

Image: Bengara Village

The spring water is gentle on the skin, leaving you feeling moisturized and smooth after your bath. You can refresh both your body and mind in an environment surrounded by nature.

Image: Bengara Village

The sauna is also popular along with the hot springs. You can work up a sweat in a relaxing space with the warmth of wood, then feel refreshed in the cold water bath and in the open air.

Spending time relaxing in the natural breeze is truly blissful.

Image: Bengara Village

In addition to the hot springs, there is also a relaxing space with hammocks and around 1,000 manga books to read, so you can spend your time relaxing as you like after bathing.

Image: Bengara Village

The 26th of every month is Bath Day (if the 26th falls on a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday, or regular holiday, the following weekday will be the day), and the usual 700 yen adult bathing fee will be 400 yen all day.

<Store Information>
■ Bengara Village
Address: Miyano 100, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Business hours: 10:00-22:00 (last admission 21:30)
Closed: Tuesdays
Bathing fee: Adults (junior high school students and above) 700 yen, 4-year-olds to elementary school students 350 yen
HP:https://www.bengalamura.com/

The Yame area is a place where history and nature come to life. Walk through the white-walled town, purify your soul at a shrine, and finally relax in a hot spring. Enjoy a rich experience that is unique to Yame. (Text by YOKO)

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