Located in Akasaka, the heart of Fukuoka, "Saryo Yamashina" occupies the second floor of a building facing a calm alley amidst the bustling city. This restaurant opened as a branch of the main store, "Seichajo Yamashina" which is located in Asakura, about a one-hour drive from Fukuoka.

The main store is a specialized Japanese tea shop where the owner, who is also a certified Japanese tea appraiser, travels across Kyushu region to select only the finest tea leaves grown by reliable producers. The branch known as "Saryo Yamashina" was opened with the concept of allowing customers to enjoy Japanese tea made from precious tea leaves carefully processed at the main store along with Japanese-style sweets, in a casual yet authentic manner.

The interior layout of the restaurant is situated on the second floor of a newly constructed steel-framed building. The sales space for tea leaves is positioned at the entrance. In the central part of the restaurant, raised by one level, there are customer counter seats, creating a dining area with a calm ambiance.
Furthermore, by placing a U-shaped counter in the central part of the tea room with relatively high ceiling height, it allows for a sloped gabled ceiling that rises toward the center of the counter.
As a result, the view and the sense of distance between the customers and the owner, as well as the relationship with the overall space, vary depending on where one sits. This design combines traditional Japanese elements while maintaining a modern counter-style tearoom ambiance.

Each material used in the interior of the store has been carefully crafted. For the wall surfaces, large sheets of handmade washi paper were dyed with iron-based dye using a tea dyeing technique and meticulously applied. Additionally, at the main counter, an original material was created by blending white cement and plaster with tea leaves. Skilled plaster craftsmen then honed and polished it, resulting in a one-of-a-kind counter.
These materials, primarily sourced from the tea leaves of the eight prefectures in Kyushu, one of Japan's premier tea-producing regions, are strategically incorporated throughout the store. They serve as icons representing the merits of being a direct management of "Saryo Yamashina", a tea producer engaged in handcrafted tea production, as well as the pride of tea connoisseurs. The intention is to encourage visitors to experience Japanese tea not only through taste but also by engaging all five senses, including smell and sight, by using tea leaves in various aspects of the store.

The beauty of materials and textures that can only be found in natural elements and handcrafted items. Creating a space solely with these elements is a way to show reverence for nature throughout the entire space. The space embodies the traditional wabi-sabi aesthetics, embracing the idea of embracing imperfection and transience, expressing it through materials, textures, and overall charm.