The island of Kujuku with its ria coastline is best for farming fish because of the calm waves created by its landscape. Oyster farming is particularly active, and the oysters in Sasebo are well known for their flavor and quality. The oyster season is between November and March, and you can enjoy them fresh, grilled, in soups, au gratin, etc.
Sea bream is also farmed in Kujuku Island, and you can try freshly caught sea bream in restaurants. Fresh sashimi is a fixture, but in Sasebo, Sea Bream Shabu is popular. You dip a slice of sea bream in simmering soup, and once it is cooked, you dip it in a tangy ponzu sauce or sesame sauce.
Hamburger is a household dish all over the world, but in Sasebo, we insist that it is homemade. Some shops bake their own buns, and the burger is grilled after the order is taken. It is priced around 300 yen to 500 yen. Hamburger was introduced to Sasebo in the 1950's by the American Navy handing down its recipe. It is now famous throughout Japan as Sasebo Burger.
Lemon Stake is the Japanese version of the stake eaten by the American Navy officers. The beef is thinner than the normal stake, and it is lightly seasoned with soy based seasonings. The flavor of the fresh lemon added at the end brings out the flavors of the stake. It is priced around 1,000 yen to 2,500 yen.
A military port was established in 1889 in Sasebo. Heihachiro Togo who was serving as the Commanding Admiral at the time was captivated by beef stew while studying in Britain, and introduced it to Sasebo. This beef stew is the recreation of that dish based on the recipe from that time. You can try it in hotel restaurants and eateries, and it is priced around 700 yen to 2,000 yen.
Like the beef stew, this is another old navy food that has been recreated. Zenzai is a traditional sweet dish made of stewed aduki beans and sugar, and it is said that it was eaten by sailors to relieve fatigue and to celebrate a safe return home. Sometimes it contains “mochi”, a traditional Japanese rice cake. It is priced around 300 yen to 700 yen.
The Japanese people's favorite Ramen differs greatly throughout Japan from the way the soup is made to its flavor. Tonkotsu soup (made from black pig) is the mainstream in Kyushu where Sasebo is, but in Sasebo, Agodashi Ramen made with the soup of flying fish is popular. It is a soy based soup with a very light flavor. It is priced around 600 yen.
The Sasebo area started to take an American influence around 1950. At that time, American Marines taught the people of Sasebo directly how to make an American hamburger. There were many hamburger shops mainly in the foreigners’ bar streets right outside military bases. Since then the Sasebo burger has become famous for its oIt has also spread outside of just Sasebown particular recipe. The Sasebo burger is always handmade and has since been known for its traditional taste. This burger spread outside Sasebo and became very popular throughout Japan.
[Recommendation]
Anyone may receive a Sasebo burger map at any tourist information desk in Sasebo. We definitely recommend when visiting Sasebo, to try out this famous hamburger, made using only the best local Sasebo ingredients.
One of the entrance gates to Nagasaki's Chinatown. This colorful gate is hard to miss
Thinking of Chinatown in Japan, Yokohama springs to mind, and Kobe. Did you know then that Nagasaki's Chinatown is the third largest Chinatown in Japan? There are said to be more than 50 Chinese restaurants there.
This is the place where you should try Nagasaki’s famous champon andsara udon noodles.
Champon is a kind of ramen noodle but different to your usual ramen, the noodles are boiled in a soup that is made from fried pork, seasonal vegetables, for example Chinese cabbage and carrots, and seafood.
Only one fry pan is needed to cook this dish that is served in a bowl. It is said that this dish was originally a workers’ meal in Nagasaki’s Chinatown and then became so popular that it was sold at restaurants.
Sara udon is similar to champon in that the ingredients are fried pork, seafood and vegetables but instead of the usual ramen noodles, crispy noodles are used. Both components, noodles and toppings, are prepared separately and then arranged on a plate (sara in Japanese). Although this noodle dish is called sara udon, there are no udon noodles in it!
Now, all three famous Chinatowns in Japan were once places where Chinese immigrants lived. Over the centuries they settled down as merchants trading in all sorts of goods. Only in the second half of the 20th century have Chinatowns become areas with many restaurants and an exotic tourist attraction.
During Japan's Edo Era, the country was closed off and Nagasaki's Dejima Island was the only "window" to Japan through which foreign traders could pass. Amongst these traders were a great number of Chinese.
While Yokoyama Port and Kobe Port were only opened for international trade, and hence access to Japan, after the Meiji Restoration in the mid 19th century, Nagasaki Port had been open, although to a limited extend, for centuries before.
Nagasaki's Chinatown, officially called Nakasaki Shinchi Chinatown, might rank third in size but this is the one Chinatown in Japan with the longest history.
If you want to see more of the Chinese heritage in Nagasaki, visit Nagasaki's Confucius Mausoleum.
Did you know that Japan’s Ringer Hut fast-food chain serves mainly champon and sara udon? You can find Ringer Hut outlets in all big cities and there are over 400 outlets in Japan in total.
This fast-food chain is named after Frederick Ringer, one of Nagasaki’s prominent former foreign residents. Ringer, who was a British citizen, was Nagasaki’s most influential merchant in the late 1890s when the city’s trade and commerce were booming.
Ringer was involved in a number of businesses and industries. For example, he established Nagasaki Hotel, which at the time was Nagasaki’s top luxury hotel with a panorama view over the harbor. He also set up Nagasaki Press, Nagasaki’s very own English language newspaper.
He surely had money, which shows in his residence. You can admire Ringer House at Nagasaki's Glover Garden.
Now, how interesting would it be to read a few copies of this newspaper and delve right back into the events in Nagasaki and the world at the turn of the 20th century while eating some delicious champon in Nagasaki's Chinatown.
