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Yakumo Saryo 八雲茶寮
Add: 3-4-7 Yakumo, Meguro Ku, Tokyo / 東京都目黒区八雲 3-4-7
Tel: +81-3-5731-1620
Hours: 9am-9pm
Website: yakumosaryo.jp
Price: tea 1,090~2,300 yen
Visited: Oct 2016
It took us a little while to find Yakumo Saryo. This restaurant, hidden inside a quiet residential neighborhood in Meguro, was about a 15-minute walk from the closest station Toritsu Daigaku. After some exploration and retracing of steps (even with Google Map), we arrived at the restaurant, which looked more like a private mansion with a large yard, all ensconced in shades of green. The calming ambience is immediately soothing, and all of our worldly worries seem to be left at the door.
這次在東京探訪的第一家茶館隱身於目黑區安靜的住宅區內，門口看上去像是個有大庭院的私宅，低調的寫著 “八雲茶寮”。要不是事先打聽好，路過就算注意到，也不敢貿然入內吧？穿過庭院來到入口處，靜谧的氣氛讓人心自然沈澱，所有令人煩惱的思緒，都遺留在布簾之外。
The founder of Yakumo Saryo is designer Shinichiro Ogata, whose design studio Simplicity has put together well-known interior design works throughout Japan, such as Aesop Shinsaibashi and Andaz Tokyo. His style inherits, preserves, and adapts traditional Japanese culture to contemporary designs, often merging the old and new to reveal a refreshing outlook on the traditions.
八雲茶寮的負責人緒方慎一郎本身是位室內設計師，他的設計事務所 Simplicity 出品了非常多知名的店鋪，比如京都和東京的 Aesop 門店（很美，沒看過的速速去網上搜圖），以及之後要介紹的 Higashiya 和櫻井焙茶研究所。他的風格是簡約設計的美學概念裏融合日本文化的細節，讓人能感受到傳統的新觀感。
At Yakumo Saryo, breakfast and lunch are by reservations, dinner is by invitation (from an existing member), while afternoon tea is open to walk-ins. The number of guests accepted is limited as they wish guests to enjoy the time with as few disturbances as possible; on the afternoon of our visit, there were only 2 or 3 other guests in the tea room.
八雲茶寮有早茶、午飯、下午茶、以及晚飯，午晚飯是必須事先預訂的，招待方式大多是由熟客介紹。這次我們前來用下午茶，被服務人員領到了茶室裏；由于希望客人不受太多打擾，茶室接受的人數不多，除了我和朋友外也就兩三個客人。
Upon being seated, we were served hot towels, followed by the tea menu and three plates of wagashi for us to admire choose from.
空間裏唯一的自然光源是這扇窗，由于陰天的關系光線微弱，凸顯了室內刻意昏暗的燈光。入座後首先接過暖呼呼的熱毛巾，隨後店員端上茶單以及三盤和菓子，一一做了介紹。
The tea menu lists about 10 options, divided into categories of bancha, matcha, gyokuro, sencha, and hojicha, with prices ranging from 1,090 to 1,640 yen. There is also a 三大玉露飲み比べ (2,300 yen), which allows one to compare three types of gyokuro at once. I chose a sencha called “玉露雁が音” from Uji, Kyoto. The staff meticulously brewed the tea and poured it in front of me, softly reminding me that the tea can be brewed two more times during the session. Soft voices, elegant gestures.
茶單上有十一種季節茶的選擇，包括番茶、抹茶、玉露、煎茶、焙茶等，價位從 1,090 至 1,640 日幣不等。其中玉露除了能單點之外，還有 “三大玉露飲み比べ”（2,300日幣）的選擇，讓客人同時嘗到三種不同的玉露。我選擇了京都宇治的 “玉露雁が音” ，店員將茶泡好後在我面前倒出（青綠的顔色好美），並細心地告訴我她會再幫我回衝兩次。
Matcha for my friend, also from Uji, Kyoto.
隨後上桌的是朋友點的お薄（抹茶），同樣來自京都宇治。店員准備茶的動作和說話的速度都不疾不徐，一切非常優雅。
We shared three namagashi (220~490 yen/each), fresh Japanese confectionaries made according to the seasons, and on the menu there are also Japanese desserts like kuzukiri (a gelatinous noodle made from kudzu root starch), oshiruko (red bean soup with glutinous rice dumplings) etc. to choose from.
我和朋友選了三款季節的生菓子（220~490日幣），菜單上另外也有葛切り（葛粉加水做成的長條狀涼品）、お汁粉（紅豆湯）等甜品（820~1,360日幣）。以前覺得和菓子太甜，不過後來漸漸喜歡上這些如藝術品般的作品，再說它們本來就是用來搭配茶慢慢品嘗的，沒人讓你一次吞五個哦。
Amongst them, I especially loved “柿衣” kakigoromo, which is dried persimmon from Nagano Prefecture wrapping house-made sweet mung bean paste and a thin slice of butter – the sweet and savory flavor melting in the mouth is absolutely luxurious. The “かぼす” kabosu is also delicious, composed of the confit of a thin peel of kabosu citrus from Oita Prefecture wrapping house-made red bean paste – the refreshing notes and slight bitterness from kabosu combining perfectly with the sweet red bean.
其中我非常喜歡的 “柿衣”，在長野縣産的市田柿幹裏夾了特制的白豆沙餡以及薄切黃油，在嘴裏化開的鹹甜滋味實在奢侈。它旁邊的 “かぼす” 也很美味，將大分縣産的酸橘糖漬過後包了自制的紅豆餡，橘皮清新的香氣和微苦的風味結合紅豆餡，太迷人。
Tea accompaniments.
茶附的小點心。
After dark.
天黑之後。
A most exquisite tea experience. Next time in Tokyo, I will be sure to come try the lunch, or perhaps if I manage somehow to receive an invitation, the dinner. If you are looking for something more casual, Simplicity has another restaurant called Higashi-Yama that’s supposed to be nice as well – something to explore.
在繁忙的都市中難免會想要找一個空間放松心情，整理好思緒後重新出發；八雲茶寮就是這樣一個好地方。
八雲茶寮
地址：目黒區 八雲 3-4-7
電話：+81-3-5731-1620
網站：yakumosaryo.jp
營業時間：9am-9pm
價位：茶 1,090~2,300 日幣
造訪日期：2016年10月
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