Steal My Vacation: Yudai Kanayama

"Brian tells us there are plenty of fine motels closer to where the Amish live, but that he recommends friends and business associates stay at the Lancaster Arts Hotel, which is “near the best coffee shop, easy to get to, and housed in a beautiful old brick tobacco warehouse.”"

"On the way to Lancaster, we stop in Adamstown, in Pennsylvania, which has a lot of antique stores on and off North Reading Street. Mad Hatter Antique Mall is one. But really just go inside any antique store in Adamstown — it’s known as the antique capital."

"My friend takes me to restaurants in town, always the same places. There’s a pizza restaurant that’s delicious called The Fridge. I think the food there is better than a lot of places in New York City — they serve lots of local craft beers and delicious thin-crust pizza."

"The first time I went, Bryan took me to one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the country, Central Lancaster Market, which is open on Fridays and Saturdays. The Amish vendors come on buggies. They make the most delicious jam I’ve ever tried, and they sell beautiful soap made out of goat milk."

"I always go to Passenger Coffee, which is near the farmers’ market. It’s not Amish, but it is obviously Amish-inspired: beautiful, sophisticated, simple, and they make delicious coffee."

"The Amish community lives in a town called Intercourse. You can drive around the farm, but there’s no light, the GPS doesn’t always work, and the roads all look similar, so you can easily get lost. You don’t want to drive around after 5 p.m. But they start early, by 6 a.m., they’re outside cleaning, cleaning, cleaning with the brooms that they make. You can also take a guided tour through the farmland on a buggy (AAA Buggy Rides, $18 per person)."

"On Main Street they make the harnesses for the horses and buggies. And they also have a leather shop called the Village Harness Shop, where they sell beautiful bags. This is the place I always go. My favorite item I ever found here was a leather flyswatter for about five bucks. It is beautiful, and the top part that’s made out of leather bends well — it lets me kill flies in the air. And it’s just so simple and sophisticated."

"Katie’s Kitchen, just outside Lancaster, has delicious potato soup ($3) — an Amish thing — and a big menu. It’s a 1970s-era restaurant that’s now Amish-operated and serves classic Pennsylvania Dutch food like ham loaf served with pineapple glaze ($10), and a pork-and-sauerkraut dinner platter with applesauce ($10). The staff is very friendly."

"We leave on Sunday night when the farm gets dark, and do some antique treasure hunting on the way back. Especially the Renningers Antique Market, which happens on Sundays. At this point, you should be a master of finding minimal and simple and sophisticated “plain” goods."