Food in Nagasaki was awesome.
ちゃんぽん Chanpon
Chanpon, something I’d never try in Singapore (why have Chanpon when you can have Char Kway Teow?), was sublime. The broth was rich, and the seafood as fresh as it gets. Of course, the taste of the noodles is much blander if you eat it alone, but have it with the soup, and the flavor amplifies.
I ate it at this place called 四海楼. It’s ranked number 2 on the best chanpon rankings by this Japanese website. Click here for more details.
カステラ Castella
Much denser than your usual sponge cake, and the texture is a lot more rich. It is only slightly moist, but the flavor bursts in your mouth, yet not too sugary that you feel sick after a few bites. I’d buy some of these back to Nagoya, but it also has an expiry date of 10 days. The fact that it only lasts 10 days, a good sign isn’t it?
I tried it at this place called 文明堂. Highly recommend this shop.
佐世保バーガー Sasebo Burger
I honestly felt like I was eating a burger I had in New York, and that’s saying a lot because Japanese versions of American burgers don’t quite cut it. Not juicy enough, not enough sauce, not enough patty, not enough pickles or mustard, but this burger. This burger hit the home run for me.
Apparently the burger was brought by the American sailors coming to Sasebo (an American military base), so I’m not too surprised that it was good, but the burger made my night.
If you don’t have time to travel to Sasebo from Nagasaki (a 2hr train ride I think), eat it at Royal Host at the main Nagasaki station. Try it!
Café #1: ひとやすみカフェ Hitoyasumi Café
It’s in a very inconspicuous building on the second floor, so if you don’t see this sign, you will just skip past it. I was just ambling along, so the sign “Books” kind of caught my eye and I followed my instincts. While I went up the steps, it was such a plain staircase I was wondering whether I was in the right place, and then I saw this sign.
It’s so poetic, explaining the philosophy of the cafe with such mission and purpose I was moved. For those who don’t understand Japanese, it’s essentially a plea to the customers to stay there for as long as possible and to enjoy the act of reading. You should only buy the books you absolutely want to buy, so take as much time as possible to get a feel for it. You also shouldn’t feel any pressure to buy something, and if you do, that’s the shop’s responsibility. Isn’t that great? I hurried my steps into the shop after reading it.
The shop is beautiful. Wood-based (I have a soft spot for wood), and the decorations are creative. Clothes hangers as a way to display books. Clamps as book stoppers, strings that dangle from the top with a book on each string hanging from it. There’s a dedicated reading spot with a lamp and a little stand to rest your book on. And a counter for you to sip coffee and chat with the barista.
I’d come back here in a heartbeat.
Café #2: あかねや喫茶店 Akaneya Coffee Shop
I came here for a morning set, and this is what I got for 500 yen: 2 slices of toast, scrambled eggs, yoghurt, salad and hot coffee. The scrambled eggs were perfectly runny, yoghurt delightful with a few good chunks of fruit, the salad dressed with sesame dressing, and the toast was perfectly toasted (imo perfect = crispy on the outside, and just a little soft in the middle to have the perfect combo of crispy and chewy). The shop was brightly lit, and again wood-based furniture. I’d come here for a few hours in the morning!
Travel Hacks
I didn’t know there was this airlines called Peach airlines. Apparently they do really cheap flights domestically. A fellow traveler I met traveled from Kansai airport to Nagasaki for just 2000 yen! Click here for more info.
Trains in Nagasaki go for like 120 yen, but the entire city is walkable. I walked the length of the city in less than a day! (or at least the sightseeing portions)
The hostel that I stayed at (AKARI), is really good cause it seems like they built up a good relationship with many of the shops nearby. They give great recommendations and very clear directions on how to get to places. Also, the walking the tour to the shrine was eye opening. Moreover, they gave me a discount card that gave me almost 50% off all attractions. Yay to cheap hostels!
NINJA WANDERER: Tales of Travels 