Tea ceremony

[Enjoy Taiwanese tea at Yanagawa’s “Tea Art Museum”]

As I walked through a quiet residential area, I was surprised to find a restaurant in a place like this. I entered with excitement and found myself in a wonderful space that made use of Japanese architecture. This building, which opened in July 2019, was originally a private home built in 1916. The interior, including the tatami room, has been left as it was, and from inside the restaurant you can see the canal of Yanagawa. The word “cha-chan” in the restaurant’s name means tea and food.

Lunch is Lu Rou Fan (broth made from braised pork rice) or curry. The tea leaves served at the restaurant are Taiwanese tea. “All the staff went to Taiwan to buy the tea leaves,” he says. Looking at the menu, the names of the teas, such as “Zijin Oolong Tea” and “Miaoli Oriental Beauty Tea,” are listed with their descriptions. “Even so, it can be hard to decide, so we make it so you can choose according to your mood.” The menu, he explained, was indeed categorized into teas that were best suited to each mood, such as “for a glamorous mood” and “for a refreshing and light mood.” “I hope this will be an entry point for people to get to know Taiwanese tea and fall in love with it.”

The shop’s presence has spread through Instagram and other social media, and it seems that the number of customers who visit is increasing not only from within Fukuoka Prefecture, but also from far away places such as Kumamoto Prefecture. From the veranda of the shop, you can see a garden unique to Yanagawa called a “detached garden” on the opposite bank across the canal. This shop is also a place where you can learn about the elegant wisdom of old Yanagawa, where you can enjoy making your own garden through the canal.