Fukuoka / A Town Where You can Experience an Artful Living - Hakata Old Town

The Hakata Old Town is a quiet area, about a 10 minutes walk from the JR Hakata Station. It is said to be the place where there is temple, which was operated by Eisai, the Buddhist Priest who brought and popularized tea ceremony in Japan, as well as Shouichi-Kokushi, who spread the method to make Yokan and Manju to Japan. In this quiet place, there are shops which use Japanese Tea and local textiles, as well as galleries and restaurants. It is an excellent place to explore the historic town while experiencing traditional Japanese culture and art.

Let's walk around the Old Town!
■"Maison Hakoshima" A Textile Shop that Recreated a Cotton Fabric Made over 80 Years Ago

"Hakozakishima" was a type of cotton fabric made in Fukuoka 80 years ago, and used for everyday wear that was popular among the common people. "Maison Hakoshima" is a store that has recreated this specific cotton fabrics and offers clothes and goods with simple striped patterns so that anyone can wear them easily.

・Recommended Item ①・・・ "Hako Pan" the pants which uses the light and comfortable Hakozakishima fabric 14,850 Yen (No lining) Tax Incl. , Same For the Following Items

　Normally, several textile yarns are strung together in order to increase the strength, but the Hakozakishima is woven from a single thread. The more you wash, the more the yarn itself unravels, becoming softer and more comfortable to the touch. These pants take advantage of this characteristic. It is a one size fits all.

・Recommended Item ②・・・ "Hako Shirt" which makes your neckline standout 16,500 Yen

The "Hako Shirt" is made to look like that shirts worn in the Basque region of France. It is very comfortable to wear, and the collar is formed into a gentle downward V slope, which gives a clean impression around the wearers neckline. There are M and L sizes available.
　
■"SABOE HAKATA" where various blend teas made from Japanese teas with fruits and grains, as well as sweets can be enjoyed

　In this area with its deep connection with tea, this Japanese Tea specialty shop aims to be a place where people can come and enjoy Japanese Tea in their daily lives. On the 1st floor, the shop sells Japanese Tea, sweets, and tea utensils, and on the 2nd floor, there is a tea house where you can enjoy the tea being sold.

・Recommended Tea・・・ The "3 Tama Gyoku" from the "T., Collection", its unique luxurious taste as a Gyokuro can be enjoyed　

The "T., Collection" is a blended tea made by combining teas, grains, and fruits from around the country using a unique method. Among this type of tea, “3 Tama Gyoku” is a rare blend of gyokuro teas, a perfect mix of the sweetness of traditional Gyokuro from Yame, Kyushu, and the bitterness of Gyokuro from Uji, Kyoto.

・The recommended menu for the 2nd Floor Teahouse is the "Ippuku Issen no Ochakai" 5,500 Yen　

　Beginning with a tea as a greeting, the menu includes three kinds of tea and sweets, like an afternoon tea with Japanese tea. You can enjoy your favorite tea with different temperatures of water and taste the subtle differences in the taste, while watching the tea being brewed in front of you. There is an English menu available.
　
■ "BASE GALLERY HAKATA" A contemporary art gallery which is also located in Tokyo

▲ Isamu Noguchi's sculpture awaits you at the entrance.

　BASE GALLERY, established in 1986, holds 6 to 8 exhibitions a year from their desire to have the artists be known. The exhibited artworks are not just from Japan, but is collected from a wide region, such as United States, Europe, and Asia, and the genre spans from modern to contemporary, and can range from mediums like paintings, sculptures, and photography.

・Recommended Artwork ①・・ Popular in overseas, Akio Igarashi's "Color Field (Phase) 11-S30" Oil on Canvas

▲Image Source: BASE GALLERY

　This is a work by an artist who has held solo exhibitions in South Korea and is gaining popularity. It expresses the accumulation of time, and the impression you receive changes with time, making it a deep work of art that reveals something new every time you look at it.

・Recommended Artwork ②・・・ Acrylic Glass Work, "Nocturne" by Katsuhito Nishikawa

▲Image Source: BASE GALLERY

　This artwork, whose artist studied architecture, has pursued the various ways in which light and color is seen, and makes us realize the diversity of color. It also gives the impression of serenity throughout the space, as if the space, the people, and the artwork are at one with each other.

■Locations
　・Maison Hakoshima
　　　Motoyama Bldg. 1F, 12-2 Gokusho-cho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
　・SABOE HAKATA
　　　Gram Building Gokushomachi 1F, 5-27 Gokushomachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
　・BASE GALLERY　HAKATA
　　　Gram Building Gokushomachi 1F, 5-27 Gokushomachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka
　　*For detailed information for each store, please check the respective website or SNS.