Yame Fukushima Shokacho (八女福島商家町) LE UN tea and summer fruit afternoon tea
#Emotional Cafe
I first learned about Nipponia Hotel in April, when I was preparing for a trip to Hokkaido, and while searching for afternoon tea, I found that there was afternoon tea at the Hakodate branch. I checked it then, and this August, when I was in Northern Kyushu, I found that there was one in Fukuoka.
It also showed up in the reservation for Ikkyu Restaurant, so I made a reservation that way. I also made a travel plan while visiting Yameshi for the first time. It is located at the lowest point of Fukuoka Prefecture, bordering Kumamoto Prefecture.
First of all, there is no JR or private railway in the area. The hotel website introduces access from Shinkansen Kurume Station to Nishitetsu Bus. I went to the Nishitetsu website to find the bus route.
I found that the bus departs from JR Kurume Station and passes through Nishitetsu Kurume Station. Since I don't have the North Kyushu Rail Pass, I'll take the Nishitetsu Electric Railway instead of the Shinkansen. My next destination is Dazaifu.
After leaving Hakata, I'll arrive at Nishitetsu Kurume Station, and after taking a bus for about 45 minutes, I'll arrive at Yame City. It takes about 12 minutes to walk from the bus stop to the hotel. The road there is full of the atmosphere of the Meiji period.
I'll also take a tour of the streets on my way there and back. Afternoon tea is held in a small cafe space in the hotel. I'll be the only one there for 2 hours. I guess it's because it's the first time on a weekday morning. I didn't see even 10 people on the street for an hour. 🤣
I'll be guided and take my seat. But then, they suddenly tell me that my next reservation is for Dazaifu, and if it's not too difficult, they'll cancel for free. Huh? How do they know my next schedule here? I was momentarily shocked, but I'll tell them that it's okay and I'll be fine.
Let's quickly go to the official website. It was a hotel of the same Onaji (same) group with a different hotel name. I asked if it was strange that the same foreigner had made reservations for two places with a 3-hour gap and didn't cancel one.
There was an episode that wasn't an episode, and when I was asked where I was from, I told them I was from Korea. But I speak Korean well. The reason is that I have a Korean boyfriend in Korea.
We converse in Korean and Japanese. The server in charge and I are the only ones from the beginning to the end. He takes orders, answers, and serves all by himself. I express my gratitude for taking care of everything and for being so welcoming to the end.
Afternoon tea consists of 4 kinds of savory, 8 kinds of sweets, and scones. They are all cold meals, but the savory is neat and the sweets feel like a mix of Western and Japanese.
Yameshi is said to be a famous area in Kyushu for tea. The drinks come with three types of Yame tea. Sencha is like Korean green tea, and they kindly explain it to you in Korean.
I also tried all three types of Yame tea, including black tea and hojicha. Enjoying it locally is more special. It was a very hot day, but both the afternoon tea and the Yame tea were great moments. Thank you.
#JapanTravel #Fukuoka #AfternoonTea #GreenTea #FukuokaTravel