White-wall Merchant and Craftsman Houses of Yame Fukushima

Fukuoka

Scenic Views & Townscapes

# Local Specialty

# Traditional Craft

# Performing Arts

# Festival

The preserved streetscape of Yame Fukushima, showing two-story traditional merchant houses with white plaster walls and tiled roofs.

A traditional Japanese merchant house (machiya) with a tiled roof, seen through trees in a courtyard.

The interior of a traditional Japanese room in a preserved merchant residence, featuring tatami mats, dark wood paneling, and a decorative ceiling.

The main hall of a shrine (likely Fukushima Hachimangu) with a tiled roof and a stone approach, flanked by guardian dog statues.

A large crowd of people watching a traditional performance or puppet show on an outdoor stage at night, illuminated by numerous lanterns.

Key Points

Former castle town from the early Edo period, and then a thriving merchant town
Features around 150 traditional buildings, especially its iconic white-wall earthen storehouses
Known for its traditional crafts (lanterns, Buddhist altars and more)

Yame Fukushima, in Fukuoka Prefecture, was first developed as a castle town in 1601 when the feudal lord Tanaka Yoshimasa built Fukushima Castle. It later prospered as a merchant town and transportation hub after the castle was abandoned. Today, about 150 historic buildings still line the old highway, where the white-wall townhouses and earthen storehouses reflect styles from the Edo through early Showa periods. This area is designated a Nationally Designated Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings, and many of the buildings still house family-run shops and workshops, carrying on Yame’s reputation for crafts like lanterns, Buddhist altars, and more.
In addition to its living Edo era townscape, the town is also home to the Yame Fukushima Toro Ningyo (a mechanical puppet show), a traditional puppet theater performed each autumn at Fukushima Hachiman-gu Shrine, and one that’s designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Be sure to visit the official website for showtimes, as this puppet theater available for a limited time.
In April, you’ll find beautiful wisteria blooms at Yame Fukushima’s “Wisteria Tunnel,” or at the Yame Kuroki Wisteria Festival.

Information

Spot information including address, access, and website
Address	Motomachi, Yame City, Fukuoka
Access from Tokyo	(1) From Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi to Hakata Station (approx. 4 hr 58 min). (2) At Hakata Station, transfer to the Nanakuma Line local train to Yakuin Station (approx. 7 min). (3) At Yakuin Station, transfer to the Nishitetsu-Tenjin-Omuta Line Limited Express to Nishitetsu-Kurume Station (approx. 29 min). (4) From Nishitetsu-Kurume Station, walk to the Nishitetsu Kurume bus stop (approx. 2 minutes). (5) From Nishitetsu Kurume bus stop, take the 31 bus (bound for Yame Bus Office) to Nishi Tojin-machi bus stop (approx. 36 min). (6) From Nishi Tojin-machi bus stop, walk to Yame-Fukushima (approx. 5 minutes). Show route from Tokyo Station
Website	https://www.city.yame.fukuoka.jp/soshiki/4/6/rekimachi/1454651769364.html