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Introduction
Immerse Yourself
in a World of Artisanship
at Craft Inn 手 [té]
From dyeing yarn and making paper, to weaving bamboo and kneading clay, the hands (te) of artisans combine the power of nature with the wisdom gained from living alongside it.
Craft Inn 手 [té] is an inn where you can experience a stay amongst Kyushu’s crafts, re-imagined to suit modern lifestyles. At the same time, it is also a gateway for guests to experience handicrafts by creating alongside artisans themselves.
The Living Craft Cultures of Yame
From Kurume Kasuri textiles, buddhist altars, lanterns, Japanese washi paper, woodwork, bamboo-work, and pottery, to Yame tea and Japanese sake, the Yame area of Fukuoka Prefecture’s Chikugo region is home to craft cultures that are intertwined with the lives of its residents.
With its rich natural resources and long history as a merchant town, the diversity of crafts concentrated in Yame is unique even across Japan. Craft Inn 手 [té] is located in the heart of Yame, a gateway to the craft cultures of Kyushu.
Rooms
Craft Inn 手 [té] comprises two renovated traditional Japanese buildings located in Yame’s historical Fukushima District. Each room is furnished with the work of craftspeople from the Chikugo region and across Kyushu, allowing guests to indulge in a full sensory experience during a stay in one of the three rooms: Indigo, Bamboo, and Washi.
藍
indigo room
This room, facing the main street of the Yame Fukushima district, saw former lives as a grocer, pottery store, and pawn shop. A large wooden table and tapestry dyed by a Kurume Kasuri maker, as well as floor cushions and pillows, create a bold world of indigo — “Japan Blue.”
indigo room 藍
Area: 1F｜42.84㎡ 2F｜36.77㎡ Total｜79.61㎡
Capacity: 1~4 guests
The first floor includes an indigo-dyed table as the centerpiece of a tatami mat room and a bathroom furnished with a wooden bathtub. Upstairs, the wood-floored room is decorated with Kurume Kasuri tapestries and fluffy futon mattresses. There is also a table and chairs by the window, where you can enjoy a cup of cold green tea or coffee in the cups provided for each room.
※ Please note that due to the nature of traditional Japanese homes, you may hear noises from the next room and/or insects may enter the room.
makers
Aizome Kasuri Kobo
tables, tapestries, seat cushions and covers, bed throws
A Kurume Kasuri textile maker located in Hirokawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Aizome Kasuri Kobo is known for producing fabric with beautiful indigo gradations and modern geometric patterns through natural dyeing and hand-weaving techniques. The fifth-generation owner, Kensuke Yamamura, continues to use traditional dyeing methods inherited from his father, Takeshi. The delicate, yet deep, long-lasting colors, are achieved by dyeing in the indigo over 30 to 50 times. Aizome Kasuri Kobo used indigo to dye a table for Craft Inn 手 [té].
Furnishings and Appliances
・futon mattresses (up to 4 sets)
・wi-fi
・toilet (western style, with bidet)
・bathtub/shower
・air conditioner
・safe
・refrigerator
・water dispenser
※ Please note that there is no TV in the room.
◯ Roomwear
MONPE-style Kurume Kasuri pants and three-quarter sleeved T-shirts (traditional Japanese haori and cotton hanten coats will be lent out depending on the season)
◯ Beverages and Tableware
Bottled cold tea, drip pack coffee, electric kettle, ceramic cups, glasses, small dishes, bottle opener
◯ Bathing and Toiletries
Bath towels, bath mats, face towels, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hair dryers, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cups
◯ Other
Slippers, hangers, flashlight, shoehorn, tissues
※ Please notify staff if you need an iron, ironing board, wine opener, and/or smartphone charger (available only for selected phone models).
竹
bamboo room
This room, located at the back of the Tsukamoto-tei building, includes lampshades woven by a local Yame craftsperson, an intricately constructed woven bamboo tabletop, and relaxing bamboo chairs with skillfully crafted soft curves.
bamboo room 竹
Area：1F｜43.86㎡ 2F｜39.92㎡ Total｜83.78㎡
Capacity: 1~4 guests
The first floor includes a woven bamboo table as the centerpiece of a tatami mat room and a bathroom furnished with a wooden bathtub. Upstairs, the wood-floored room is decorated with bamboo chairs. The shoji screen paper on the second floor is made of washi paper infused with parts of sliding fusuma doors originally in the room before renovation. The history of this region can also be felt through Kurume Kasuri cushions that feature the chrysanthemum motif painted on the building’s original fusuma doors.
※ Please note that due to the nature of traditional Japanese homes, you may hear noises from the next room and/or insects may enter the room.
makers
Atsushi Ishida
table
A bamboo craftsperson based in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, Ishida manages a bamboo forest and harvests bamboo himself to create durable and practical bamboo crafts that can be integrated into daily life. Apart from bamboo, Ishida also weaves in other mediums, such as akebia vines. The bamboo table Ishida wove for Craft Inn 手 [té] is a reminder of the new possibilities of bamboo artisanship.
Yuki Nagaoka
lampshade
Creating sturdy pieces rooted in daily life, Nagaoka started working as a bamboo craftsperson after moving to Yame with Atsushi Ishida, a classmate from the Bamboo Craft Training Support Center. The lampshade woven by Nagaoka spreads a delicate glow when lit, a piece that allows the unique qualities of bamboo to shine.
Tengoya
chair
Tengoya is a workshop located in Hoshino Village, Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, one of the most prominent bamboo production areas in Japan. The name tengo refers to baskets made on the island of Kuchinoerabu in Kagoshima Prefecture. Akira Someya, the owner of Tengoya, stumbled upon chairmaking fortuitously. After seeing a bamboo basket turned upside-down, he noticed that its “bottom” side could actually be reimagined as a seat. After two years of researching the structure of bamboo weaving, Someya created these delicately laced but strong bamboo chairs.
Furnishings and Appliances
・futon mattresses (up to 4 sets)
・wi-fi
・toilet (western style with bidet)
・bathtub/shower
・air conditioner
・safe
・refrigerator
・water dispenser
※ Please note that there is no TV in the room.
◯ Roomwear
MONPE-style Kurume Kasuri pants and three-quarter sleeved T-shirts (traditional Japanese haori and cotton hanten coats will be lent out depending on the season)
◯ Beverages and Tableware
Bottled cold tea, drip pack coffee, electric kettle, ceramic cups, glasses, small dishes, bottle opener
◯ Bathing and Toiletries
Bath towels, bath mats, face towels, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hair dryers, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cups
◯ Other
Slippers, hangers, flashlight, shoehorn, tissues
※ Please notify staff if you need an iron, ironing board, wine opener, and/or smartphone charger (available only for selected phone models).
和紙
washi room
This former warehouse of the Marubayashi family is estimated to have been built in the mid-1800s. While browsing a unique collection of books curated around crafts, guests staying here enjoy the entire building to themselves, filled with a diverse world of paper created with Yame washi and Nao Tesuki Washi.
washi room 和紙
Area：1F｜38.95㎡ 2F｜19.40㎡ Total｜58.36㎡
Capacity：1〜4 guests
This renovated storehouse is located behind the Unagi no Nedoko UNA PRODUCTS store. Guests staying here enjoy the entire building to themselves, a structure adorned with different washi paper art. Find washi infused with rope from the original structure’s earthen walls made by Nao Tesuki Washi and Yame washi wood prints made by Toshiyuki Kuratomi. On the first floor, an entire wall is filled with books on crafts and art from Kyushu and around the world.
※ Please note that due to the nature of traditional Japanese homes, insects may enter the room.
makers
Nao Tesuki Washi, Gen Taniguchi
bookshelf, tapestry
Taniguchi is the seventh generation owner of the family-run Nao Tesuki Washi, located in Yamato, Saga Prefecture. The workshop is engaged in all aspects of the papermaking process, beginning with harvesting their own kaji mulberry. Taniguchi not only carries on traditional papermaking methods, but also explores new possibilities by integrating materials (and their stories) into washi, taking a cue from Japan’s unique history of recycled paper called kankonshi.
Furnishings and Appliances
・futon mattresses (up to 4 sets)
・wi-fi
・toilet (western style with bidet)
・bathtub/shower
・air conditioner
・safe
・refrigerator
・water dispenser
※ Please note that there is no TV in the room.
◯ Roomwear
MONPE-style Kurume Kasuri pants and three-quarter sleeved T-shirts (traditional Japanese haori and cotton hanten coats will be lent out depending on the season)
◯ Beverages and Tableware
Bottled cold tea, drip pack coffee, electric kettle, ceramic cups, glasses, small dishes, bottle opener
◯ Bathing and Toiletries
Bath towels, bath mats, face towels, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, hair dryers, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cups
◯ Other
Slippers, hangers, flashlight, shoehorn, tissues
※ Please notify staff if you need an iron, ironing board, wine opener, and/or smartphone charger (available only for selected phone models).
Original 手 [té]
Furniture and Furnishings
（roomwear）
（table）
（bathtub oke）
（shoji screen paper）
（lampshade）
（tiles）
（stool）
（wallpaper）
（lampshade）
（table）
（lantern）
（cushion cover）
Craft Experiences
Visit workshops and interact directly with the artisans themselves to experience the joys of their craft. Feel the history of Yame Fukushima through its townscape, and take in the changing seasons through the light and breeze that flows across the rice fields and tea plantations. Let Craft Inn 手 [té] be your entry point to the streets and mountains of Yame. We also offer a variety of hands-on tours to take you deeper into the local craft culture.
Breakfast
In addition to Yame tea, the region abounds with fruits and vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, livestock, and more. Yame is a prosperous land, full of nature’s bounty. Created by producers in dialogue with the local environment, we view this edible bounty too as craft.
At Craft Inn 手 [té], these local ingredients are used in abundance and are served in either Matsunobu Kougei's original buckets, which are made entirely of wood and bamboo, or Kiyoshi Sekiuchi’s crafted cedar lunch boxes.
Shop
The area around Craft Inn 手 [té] is dotted with the stores of our partner company, Unagi no Nedoko. A three-minute walk from Craft Inn 手 [té] Marubayashi is the Unagi no Nedoko UNA PRODUCTS shop which sells their signature MONPE pants made from local Kurume Kasuri fabric. Another three-minute walk from there is the Unagi no Nedoko NATIVESCAPE STORE, which stocks select craft products made by artisans throughout Japan.
Unagi no Nedoko
UNA PRODUCTS
Closed: Tues. and Wed. (open holidays)
Hours: 11:00~17:00
Address: 267 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
TEL: 0943-22-3699
→Website
Unagi no Nedoko
NATIVESCAPE STORE
Closed: Tues. and Wed. (open holidays)
Hours: 11:00~17:00
Address: 327 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
TEL: 0943-24-8021
→Website
Access
Craft Inn 手 [té]
indigo room 藍, bamboo room 竹 (Tsukamoto-tei)
120-1 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Google Maps
Craft Inn 手 [té]
washi room 和紙 (Marubayashi Honke-kura)
267 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Google MapsEven guests staying in the washi room 和紙 are requested to check in at Tsukamoto-tei (the indigo and bamboo room building). Check-in is from 15:00 to 18:00. We kindly ask that you inform us of your anticipated check-in time at least one day in advance.
Please note that Craft Inn 手 [té] is a facility without permanent front desk staff. As such, staff will not be available during the evening.
We ask our guests to please take care of locking the door when they go out.
By Car
From Fukuoka Airport, about 50 minutes
From Hakata Station, about 60 minutes
By Public Transportation (using local trains or Shinkansen)
- ◎Routes from JR Hakata Station using local trains・Get off at JR「Hainuzuka Station」→ Take a taxi, about 20 minutes
・Get off at JR「Kurume Station」→ Take the Nishitetsu bus to「Nishitojinmachi」→ Walk, about 10 minutes - ◎Routes from JR Hakata Station using Shinkansen・Get off at JR「Chikugo-Funagoya Station」→ Take a taxi, about 30 minutes
・Get off at JR「Kurume Station」→ Take a taxi, about 40 minutes
・Get off at JR「Kurume Station」→ Take the Nishitetsu bus to「Nishitojinmachi」→ Walk, about 10 minutes
Inquiries
- MAIL：te@unalabs.jp
- TEL：0943-25-7577（9:00-18:00）