We stayed at 6 different lodgings on our Kyushu roadtrip, and the two nights at Craft Inn 手 té really stood out as something special. Located in Yame, a small historical town about an hour drive from Fukuoka, Craft Inn specializes in renovating old houses and tastefully decorating them with furniture and tools made using local materials and techniques. It is the perfect way to experience staying amongst Kyushu’s crafts, re-imagined to suit modern lifestyles.
今年三月去九州，最驚喜的就是發現了 Craft Inn 手 té 這家非常獨特的旅宿。Craft Inn 位於距離福岡車程約一小時的小鎮「八女」，特色是將當地的老屋進行翻修，並融入九州各地職人製作的手工藝品，讓住客能夠通過親手使用、體驗這些美麗的日常用品，來了解當地的風土文化。
Craft Inn has three rooms – indigo, bamboo, and washi (Japanese paper). I had booked one night each at the indigo room and the washi room, and though initially I 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.
Craft Inn有三個房間，分別以「藍染」、「竹子」、「和紙」為主題。其中藍染和竹子房與 check-in 櫃檯在同一棟老屋，和紙房則是自己一幢獨立房子，兩棟的步行距離約10分鐘左右。由於看起來都非常吸引人，實在選擇困難，所以我們決定藍染房與和紙房各住一晚。原本有點擔心在小鎮待三天兩夜會不會無聊，事後才發現時間根本不夠用。八女有著豐富的歷史和手工藝文化，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 first stayed at the indigo room, which is housed in a building that was previously a grocer, a pottery store, and a pawn shop, facing the Main Street of the Yame Fukushima district. As the name indicates, this room features everything indigo – indigo tapestry, floor cushions, pillows, coasters…even the wooden table has been indigo dyed! We were also able to book an indigo dye workshop at Aizome Kasuri Kobo via Craft Inn for the next day, the experience turned out to be exceptionally interesting…more on this in a separate post.
第一天，我們下榻於「藍染房 Indigo Room」。房如其名，空間裡帶入了各種藍染的細節，比如當地著名的藍染絣工房「山村健」所製作的坐墊、被褥、壁毯、杯墊…甚至連和室的木桌都經過藍染處理。我們在第二天也通過 Craft Inn 預約了在山村健工房體驗藍染工藝，非常有趣！這個部分會在另一篇文章分享。
Though it is called the indigo “room”, the whole space actually comprises of two floors totaling 80sqm, very spacious for our family of three (it can accommodate up to four guests). The first floor includes a tatami room with an indigo-dyed table as centerpiece, where we enjoyed our welcome tea and pastries, as well as breakfast the day morning.
雖說是藍染「房」，但空間足足有80sqm，分為上下兩層樓，最多可住四位成人。一樓是帶有庭院的榻榻米和室，房間的中央擺了一張美麗的藍染桌，我們在這裡享用了迎賓茶點和第二天的早餐。
There’s also a tea set with detailed instructions on how to brew Yame tea, which is famed throughout Japan.
和室裡還有一組茶具和著名的八女茶，並附上詳細的沏茶指示，讓客人親手體驗泡茶的樂趣。
The bathroom, also located on the first floor, is furnished with a cedar wood bathtub made by local workshop Matsunobu Kogei, filling the space with a pleasant aroma.
浴室也在一樓，很特別的是浴缸由八女當地的 “松延工芸” 以雪松製成，讓整個空間都充滿淡淡木質香氣。
Upstairs is the bedroom, decorated with Kurume Kasuri tapestry, fluffy futon mattresses, and lounge chairs for relaxing.
二樓則是寬敞的臥室。牆上所展示的久留米絣掛毯很美，同樣也由山村健工房所製作。
Most amenities provided in the room are made by local artisans, many of which are available for purchase. After a two-night stay at Craft Inn, we fell in love with these beautiful products and bought many of them to take home with.
空間裡配品都相當有質感，讓人想要全部帶回家。很多在 Craft Inn 的相關商店都有賣，我們也的確買了不少 – 杯盤、拖鞋、擺飾、椅墊…能放得下行李箱的都入手了。
This is a small display of products outside of the indigo and bamboo room, but a larger selection can be found at Unagi no Nedoko, a shop that’s about a 10-minute walk away.
這是藍染房外的小商店，不過更齊全的商品可以在「うなぎの寝床」找到（步行約10分鐘，就在和紙房附近）。
The staircase leading up to the second floor is a good example of old and new architectural elements melding together.
通往二樓的階梯。在空間的各處都能看到老屋原本的構造與新建材的融合。
The bamboo room happened to be unoccupied on the night of our stay, so we got a sneak peek of that space. It is a beautiful room featuring items such as bamboo-woven lampshades, bamboo-woven tabletop, bamboo chairs…and would be a lovely choice for those who are drawn to this particular material.
我們入住的當天剛好竹子房沒有客人，所以得以進去瞄了兩眼。空間裡擺設了許多竹製品，比如燈罩、桌椅、掛飾等，也很有特色。
After a pleasant stroll on the streets of Yame, we arrived at Hayama for dinner. We booked a special duck hotpot set via Craft Inn, but if you prefer, you can also reserve your seat independently and order a la carte. The kimono-clad owner graciously accommodated us, and shared many stories of Yame and her restaurant as she personally cooked the hotpot for us.
Side story: her husband works in old furniture restoration, we happened to run into them near his atelier on our last day in Yame and got a little tour. A small but memorable episode!
在八女小鎮上四處閒逛、賞櫻後，我們來到鴨料理「葉山」享用當日晚餐（通過Craft Inn預定會有特別的套餐，不過也可以自行前往並單點）。身著和服的老闆娘非常熱情地招呼我們，閒聊後才知道開幕多年的葉山之前受疫情影響歇業了好一陣子，近期才搬家、重新整頓開業，真是恭喜恭喜。
題外話：老闆娘先生的工作是修復老傢俱，我們在八女的最後一天正好在街上碰見他們，還得以參觀了他的工作室，也算是很有緣份了。
The hotpot broth is dashi-based, flavored with soy sauce and an abundance of vegetables, followed by thinly sliced duck meat and udon. The finale was rice cooked in the broth until its essence had been soaked up, resulting in an exceedingly flavorful bowl of rice with a crunch on the edges. A perfect little dinner.
鴨肉火鍋的湯底由日式高湯和醬油調味，加了大量蔬菜，湯頭鮮甜不膩。蔬菜和豆腐本身就非常美味了，加入鴨肉後更是暖心暖胃。最後可以選擇加入烏冬麵或白飯，看我們難以做決定，老闆娘說那就各來一點吧！很特別的是飯並不是煮成稀飯，而是只留少量湯汁，將飯煮乾（最終在鍋裡滋滋作響的聲音超美妙啊），變成帶有焦脆鍋巴的口感。
Full-bellied, we slowly made our way back to the indigo room, had a nice soak in the cedar wood bath, and called it a night…
酒足飯飽之後散步回到藍染房，在雪松製成的浴缸裡舒服地泡個澡，暖暖入睡…
The next morning, we woke up to a healthy and delicious breakfast, made with local ingredients sourced from nearby growers and producers. The spread was beautifully presented in a wooden/bamboo bucket, also made by Matsunobu Kogei, the same workshop that fabricates the cedar wood bathtubs.
第二天早上，呈現在木/竹質托盤（同樣由松延工芸製作）的早餐由服務人員端到屋裡，讓我們不用出門就能享用早餐。料理皆用在地食材做成，調味清爽美味，所使用的器皿也都令人賞心悅目。以這樣開啟一天，太舒服了。
Em’s mini breakfast was also meticulously prepared.
小孩的早餐也被認真對待。
What a lovely stay! And now, to the washi room…details coming in the next post.
悠閒的早餐時光結束後，我們從藍染房 check-out ，準備搬入和紙房。細節，下一篇分享。
Craft Inn 手 té – Indigo Room
Add 地址：120-1 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture / 福岡県八女市本町120番地1
Tel 電話：0943-25-7577
Website 網站：craftinn.jp
Price 價位：22,200 yen per person (for 2 guests in one room) / 每人每晚22,200日圓（兩人入住時）