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Yame & Okuyame’s Delicacies

Yame & Okuyame’s Delicacies

Lunch in Yame: A Pledge for Chanokuni (Tea Country) Hospitality

As residents of Chanokuni (Tea Country), we welcome our guests with warm hospitality and strive to become an attractive tourist destination where visitors will want to come back to. We pledge to adhere to the following five principles:

  • We cherish ichigo ichie to treasure every brief encounter.
  • We welcome guests with Yamecha (Yame tea) and homemade cuisine.
  • We build a Chanokuni (Tea Country) that visitors can stroll through leisurely and enjoy.
  • We entertain guests with natural and genuine hospitality.
  • We light up everyone’s hearts with bright smiles.
Yame Map

Delicious Cuisines in Yame & Okuyame

Lunch is prepared and served with such hospitality. Explore the delicious, homemade deliciousness that Yame has to offer.

  • This elegant, delicate, and colorful platter will take your breath away

    Hanamurasaki is a restaurant located in the center of Yame’s quaint townscape, along a street of traditional, white-walled buildings. Guests can feel the chef’s elegant mindfulness through the fresh ingredients and the beautiful presentation of the small portions of assorted dishes on the platter. From lunch, dessert, to Japanese-style kaiseki (multi-course meals), Hanamurasaki’s unique cuisine is appreciated by a wide range of age groups. Hana Lunch is a menu item that is so popular that there is a waiting list at times. It consists of black sesame tofu, a seasonal salad dressed with tofu sauce, sashimi, a vinegar dish, a tofu salad, small domburi (a bowl of rice with toppings), pickles, a small bowl of udon (thick wheat flour noodles), and a dessert. With such an assortment of healthy dishes (you can even choose the domburi and dessert of your choice out of a variation) and a complimentary cup of coffee at the end of your meal, it is definitely worth the wait! Hana Lunch and Miyabi-zen, another lunch menu, is also served during dinner hours, allowing you to savor these dishes in a completely different atmosphere. Fill in a survey at the restaurant to win a discount coupon for Hana Lunch, for Hana Kaiseki Course that you can use in your birthday month, and a ¥500 coupon applicable for your next meal.

    Udon Saryo Hanamurasaki

    0943-23-7344 (International calls: +81-943-23-7344)

    Type of dish: Noodles
    Address: 148-6 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:30-15:00(Last call for orders at 14:30),17:30-21:30(Last call for orders at 20:30)
    Closed: Thursdays

    Udon Saryo Hanamurasaki
    Udon Saryo Hanamurasaki
  • A Japanese & Western-style confectionery shop that uses Yamecha (Yame tea) in all its products

    Rich in vitamins, catechin, and polyphenol, green tea is known for having many positive effects on the body by reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Among various kinds of green tea, Yamecha (Yame tea) produced by Okuyame’s tea farmers is especially renowned nationwide for its high quality, full-bodied yet round flavor, and gentle sweetness. Yamecha Sweets Natsume was opened 9 years ago to promote this wonderful produce of Yame to many people. All pastries at the shop are blended with carefully-handpicked Yame tealeaves. Other ingredients are also selected with precision, whether it is for staple or seasonal confections. For instance, Yamecha Baumkuchen uses Washoku-no-Tamago, which are eggs of hens that are fed Yame tea leaves.Natsume offers various kinds of confectionery that are appreciated as wedding favors, souvenirs, and seasonal events. Share the delicious aroma and the joy that green tea brings you!

    Yamecha Sweets Natsume

    0943-24-6333 (International calls: +81-943-24-6333)

    Type of dish: Sweets
    Address: 1032-2 Motomura, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0063[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 10:00-19:30
    Closed: 1/1

    Yamecha Sweets Natsume
    Yamecha Sweets Natsume
  • An inspiring location with an abundant selection of Yame’s charms and specialty products

    Yame Tourist Local Products Center Tokimeki is lined with countless specialty products from the six regions of Yame City. This is the hub where Yame’s renowned charms are gathered and disseminated to many people. Products range from Yamecha (Yame tea) to locally-brewed sake (Japanese rice wine), shōyu (soy sauce), vinegar, and confections. The Yame Tourist Information Center has a wide selection of pamphlets on sightseeing areas and events in Yame, and visitors may also enjoy leisurely setting up their itineraries here. Tokimeki recommends its original soft-serve ice cream to accompany visitors’ breaks. Matcha (specially grown and processed green tea that is finely ground into a powder) from the district of Hoshino, which is famous for its green tea, has been blended into this quality dessert. Cultivated in the great outdoors, Hoshino matcha is characterized by its intense fragrance and rich and deep flavor; this ice cream conveys the essence of Yame. The green tea sales corner offers a selection of teas from twenty tea shops. This Yamecha (Yame tea) sales corner is the pride of Tokimeki, as the teas have been carefully selected by each store, guaranteed for quality and package designs, as well as highly appreciated as gifts. Specialty teas from different stores can also be combined into a single gift package.

    Yame Tourist Local Products Center Tokimeki

    0943-22-7730 (International calls: +81-943-22-7730)

    Type of dish: Sweets
    Address: 2-129 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 0-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 9:30-18:00 Note: Open until 17:00 from October to March
    Closed: Mondays and Year-end and the New Year

    “Tokimeki” Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    “Tokimeki” Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
  • Persistence to quality, not only of the noodles but also of the dashi (soup stock) made from natural Laus kelp and bonito fished off Makurazaki, the coast of Kagoshima.

    You can find seasonal limited dishes such as summer’s Sarada Udon (udon salad) that uses olive oil from Spain and winter’s Kamo Nan Udon (udon with duck and Welsh onion) that uses high quality duck meat from France.

    “Tsuruya” Shiyakusho-mae Store

    0943-23-5570 (International calls: +81-943-23-5570)

    Type of dish: Lunch,Noodles
    Address: 650 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:00-15:00,17:00-20:00
    Closed: Mondays

    “Tsuruya” Shiyakusho-mae Store
    “Tsuruya” Shiyakusho-mae Store
  • Okuno serves everything from original dishes to meat dishes. They also serve ramen, which is a popular “closer” dish to end the night out on the town.

    Traditional Japanese-style restaurant Okuno is located in the center of the downtown where you can enjoy original dishes made of local, fresh seafood in a peaceful atmosphere. The entire establishment is laid out in a Japanese-inspired design, consists of private dining rooms, and can accommodate many types of gatherings. Special orders for obento (boxed meals) and large platters are also available. The restaurant offers an extensive menu and has become the focus of attention for its affiliated stores of different types of cuisine that are each built with an emphasis on select ingredients. Okuno Shokudō that mainly serves ramen opens from 6:30 pm to 3 am. It is perfect for after-parties and late-night meals. Meat cuisine restaurant Matsuno opened inside Yame’s fresh produce market, Yame Seika Ichiba. It serves sukiyaki (beef and vegetable hotpot), yakiniku (Japanese barbecue), as well as motsunabe (variety meat hotpot), and it is gaining popularity as a place where one can enjoy high-grade Japanese Black beef at a reasonable price. Under the direct management of Matsukiya Meat Shop, which was established in 1957, dishes such as special boneless beef short rib, special loin, and sukiyaki can be savored at low cost. Yebisu draft beer is also a bargain at 370 yen. Okuno is the place to go if you are dining out but undecided between ordering meat or fish!

    Traditional Japanese-Style Seafood Restaurant Okuno

    0943-24-6011 (International calls: +81-943-24-6011)

    Type of dish: Lunch
    Address: 754-2 Nōso, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0004[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:30-14:00(Open for lunch only on weekdays)、18:00-22:30
    Closed: Tuesdays

    Traditional Japanese-Style Seafood Restaurant Okuno
    Traditional Japanese-Style Seafood Restaurant Okuno
  • A local spaghetti house with a diverse, good-value menu

    The casual and cozy atmosphere draws regular customers of all ages, from businesspeople as well as families, and reasonable prices make it easy to frequent this eatery. The most popular dish is the namesake of the restaurant, Pasta no Ohsama. This pasta’s Japanese-style sauce is based on eggs and soy sauce, into which bacon, spinach, and shredded nori (dried seaweed) are mixed, and then topped with Washoku-no-Tamago, which are eggs of hens that are fed Yame tea leaves. There are four kinds of good-value lunch sets (A to D), limited to weekdays and Saturdays. Sets A to C each consist of a pasta of choice, a small salad, and a side dish of choice. The choices of pasta and side dishes increase in order from sets C to A. Set D includes the pizza of the day or a gratin with a small salad and a side dish of choice for 850 yen. All sets, from A to D, are good-value offers that can be selected according to your mood of the day. The tomato sauce-based Akahige Sensei Jiman-no-Ryōri (Dr. Akahige’s Specialty Dish) and tomato cream-based Yume Miru Kifujin (Dreaming Lady) are also included in the diverse lineup of dishes at this delightful establishment.

    Pasta no Ohsama Yame Store

    0943-25-7000 (International calls: +81-943-25-7000)

    Type of dish: Noodles,Lunch
    Address: 379 Kamahara, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0064[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:00-22:00(Last call for orders at 21:00)
    Closed: Wednesdays

    King of Pasta Yame Store
    King of Pasta Yame Store
  • We will teach you the proper way to eat Honkaku Kurobuta Negi Shabu-Shabu (authentic Berkshire pork & Welsh onion hotpot)

    Traditional, white-walled machiya (townhouses) line the roads of the Fukushima neighborhood of Yame City. The restaurant located here, formerly known as Ton-ya Don-ya, has been revamped into Kurobutaya Yame Hiruyoke Store. The wooden interior design of the establishment exudes coziness and nostalgia of a bygone era. Each group of customers is given a private room to enjoy relaxing meals. Both the lunch menu during the day and the izakaya (pub) menu at night offer the delights of Berkshire pork raised in the vast nature of Kagoshima Prefecture. A fine texture and slight sweetness characterize this pork, whose crisp and velvety consistency is now gaining popularity. Kurobuta Negi Shabu (Berkshire pork & Welsh onion hotpot) is made by dropping chopped Welsh onions into the steaming pot, and once that has softened, thinly-sliced pork is eased into the boiling soup. When the redness of the meat has disappeared, wrap a strip around a piece of cooked Welsh onion and take a bite. This simple way to enjoy this dish will leave a fresh aftertaste in the mouth.Kurobutaya’s affiliated stores include Kutsurogi Sakaba Yamakijin, which boasts over 200 dishes on its menu, and Ogottsōdoko Gyūtan, where wagyū (Japanese beef) is grilled over a charcoal stove. All group stores share a good-value members’ point card system, which is free for customers to enroll in and awards members with bonus points on their birthdays.

    Yamakijin Kurobutaya Yame Hiruyoke Store

    0943-23-7755 (International calls: +81-943-23-7755)

    Type of dish: Lunch
    Address: 95 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:30-14:00(Last call for orders at 13:30),17:00-24:00(Last call for orders at 23:00)
    Closed: Mondays (or the following day if it falls on a public holiday)

    Yamakijin Kurobutaya Yame Hiruyoke Store
    Yamakijin Kurobutaya Yame Hiruyoke Store
  • Enjoy our soba and udon noodles that were made with selected ingredients

    You can savor freshly-kneaded soba noodles made of 100% buckwheat flour from Kyushu, or udon noodles made of wheat from Yame and Sanuki (Kagawa Prefecture). The natural dashi (soup stock) is made with care, blended with kombu (kelp seaweed) and bonito flakes harvested in Rishiri, Hokkaido Prefecture, and tuna flakes.

    Tatenoyokochou Kakurean

    0943-23-1683 (International calls: +81-943-23-1683)

    Type of dish: Lunch
    Address: 488-1 Tateno, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0051[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 10-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:30-15:00
    Closed: Every Mondey to Wednesday (and on some irregular holidays)

    Tatenoyokochou Kakurean
    Tatenoyokochou Kakurean
  • A relaxing time in a retro-inspired space

    Sorciere is a spacious café with vaulted ceilings and white rustic interior, making it a perfect spot for a relaxing coffee break. It is also serves assorted prix fixe menus for a ladies’ day out or romantic dates. The owners also run the adjacent beauty salon.

    Sorciere

    0943-43-5997 (International calls: +81-943-43-5997)

    Type of dish: Lunch
    Address: 2-613 Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: 11:00-25:00
    Closed: Irregular holidays

    Sorciere
    Sorciere
  • A popular restaurant that ramen lovers frequent to savor ramen at its best

    This popular ramen restaurant has five stores in Japan as well as one overseas, in Shanghai. It is a favorite of so many people because of its full-bodied soup, made with only top-quality pork bones. Its homemade noodles is made with 100% Rāmugi (wheat especially developed in Fukuoka for local ramen noodles) to achieve the ideal texture. This perfect combination creates the Kurume Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen that continues to be favored by people of all ages, both local and worldwide. Tetsunabe Gyōza (iron pan-fried dumpling) is a delectable specialty dish with crisp, crunchy, and savory dough skin and juicy filling. All its ingredients, from meat to vegetables to condiments, are domestically procured for customers’ safety and peace of mind. The first day of every month is called “Ichiban (No.1) Day,” on which good-value deals are given to all customers to express the store’s gratitude, from 400-yen ramen to discounts off combo meal sets and kaedama (noodle refills). Other discount events are regularly held as well. Don’t miss the notices on such information inside and outside the stores! Customers can also purchase dishes to go (to be cooked at home), such as ramen for 550 yen per serving and 50 pieces of original gyōza (dumpling) for 980 yen, as well as order them online (shipping available within Japan only).

    Dairyu Ichiban Yame Store

    0943-24-5655 (International calls: +81-943-24-5655)

    Type of dish: Lunch,Noodles
    Address: 1311-8 Kamahara, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0064[View Map(Google Map)
    Access: 5-min. drive from Yame Tourism Regional Products Store
    Business Hours: [Mon-Sat]11:00-24:00,[Sun]11:00-22:00
    Closed: None

    Dairyu Ichiban Yame Store
    Dairyu Ichiban Yame Store

Introduction to Yame’s Local Cuisine

Yame-no-Kāchan Bento

Yame-no-Kāchan Bento

Prepared by mothers across Yame City, this obento (boxed meal) is filled with an assortment of local cuisine made of fresh, seasonal vegetables harvested from their own farms! Packed with delicious dishes that the residents take pride in, these are available at festivals and events in each region.

Goroshi

Goroshi

This is an easy-to-make, traditional snack native to this region, which is called Chikugo. Made of wheat flour, salt, and water, the dough is kneaded and left to rest for a while. It is then thinly spread out with the palm and boiled in a large amount of water. Once it is cooked, it is put into a strainer to drain. Finally, it is served with kinako (sweet soybean powder) or brown sugar. A similar snack is referred to as Yaseuma in Oita Prefecture, and Nubedago in Saga Prefecture. It was commonly eaten in between meals at three o’clock during the busy farming season.

Gameni

Gameni

The name of this dish is alternatively believed to have been derived from kameni a softshell turtle stew, or from a local word gamekuru which means “to gather.” Gameni consists of burdock roots, lotus roots, carrots, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, taro, konjac, and chicken. All ingredients are stir-fried and then boiled in dashi (soup stock) until soft. This is an essential dish for celebrations. This dish is nationally known as Chikuzen-ni (Chikuzen is the name for an old province that is present-day western Fukuoka Prefecture), but this traditional dish is eaten all across Fukuoka, including this Chikugo region.

Oni-no-Tekoboshi

Oni-no-Tekoboshi

This traditional cuisine received its name due to its resemblance to a devil’s fist. The mochi rice cake wrapped in bamboo sheath is traditionally eaten on Children’s Day on May 5th in the districts of Tachibana and Kurogi. Due to the antiseptic effects of the bamboo sheath, the mochi can be preserved for a week even during summer. The bamboo sheath also enhances the flavor of the mochi by adding a mild sweetness and aroma to it. Proficient skills are required to pack the mochi inside the bamboo sheath that is folded into a triangle and then to tie strings around it to maintain its shape.

Imo Manjū (Steamed Taro Ball)

Imo Manjū (Steamed Taro Ball)

Imo Manjū is made of a whole, boiled taro root wrapped in flour dough. Commonly eaten in Yame, it is available throughout the year at local produce stores. The recipe is simple, too. First, the taro is peeled and boiled in salt water. Next, it is wrapped in a dough made of flour, dango powder, and salt, and then either steamed or boiled in plenty of water. It is sometimes wrapped with dough skin that includes yomogi herb. When cold, Imo Manjū can be heated in a thermos jar or warmed in a toaster oven.

Dagojiru (Dumpling Soup)

Dagojiru (Dumpling Soup)

Dangojiru, one of Kyushu’s renowned dishes, is referred to as Dagojiru here in Yame. The dough consisting of wheat, salt, and water is kneaded and left to rest for a while. It is then thinly spread out with the palm and put into a soup. Most people use dried sardine soup stock and add miso to it, but soy sauce is also common in many households. Potatoes, pumpkins, burdock roots, carrots, mushrooms, and other seasonal produce can be added to make a hearty soup.

Funayaki

Funayaki

Funayaki is a Japanese-style crepe that has been part of Yame’s cuisine down the ages. The batter made of wheat flour and water is thinly spread on a frying pan. Once cooked, it is topped with brown sugar and wrapped like a crepe. Some people wrap julienned vegetables instead of sugar. Another common way to cook Funayaki is to add takana (leaf mustard) pickles into the batter. From desserts to simple side dishes, there are many ways to eat this wheat flour dish.

Hotaruage

Hotaruage

Hotaruage, which literally means deep-fried fireflies, got its name from its shape that resembles a firefly’s abdomen. A fried manjū (bun) stuffed with sweet potato paste, this is a popular snack among children and adults. Sweet potato paste has long been commonly used for manjū and botamochi (rice dumpling covered with the paste) in Yame. Hotaruage is one such confection and available in the Tachibana district.

Roppaku Kurobuta

Roppaku Kurobuta

Roppaku Kurobuta is a variety of Berkshire pig with six white parts: the tip of the nose, the four feet, and the tail. Authentic Berkshire pig raised on designated feed is recognized for the crisp, fine texture, and velvety consistency of its meat. The establishments inside Hoshi-no-Furusato Park serve Roppaku Kurobuta that is shipped directly from the Kagoshima Prefecture Roppaku Kurobuta Producers’ Association.