November itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Nagasaki Day 2 Meal edition)
(Tuesday, November 16th)
Table of contents
1. BigMan Kyomachi Main Store
I returned to Sasebo City from Hirado City and ate Sasebo Burger for lunch at “Big Man Kyomachi Main Store”. Sasebo Burger is a local gourmet that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has selected as a “Local dishes loved by the nation” in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Sasebo Burger is said to have started around 1950 when restaurants in Sasebo heard recipes directly from the US Navy base and started making hamburgers around the US Navy base. According to the Japan Hamburger and Hamburger Association, Sasebo is Japan’s “The land of hamburgers”.
Sasebo burger has a rule that “a hamburger made by hand at a store in Sasebo city after receiving an order”. Roughly speaking, it is a handmade gourmet burger made in Sasebo. Therefore, the ingredients and sizes vary from store to store.
As mentioned above, Sasebo has a history of hamburgers, but the name “Sasebo Burger” began to be used around 2004. Therefore, it can be said to be a local gourmet as part of the town revitalization.
Takashi Yanase, the creator of Anpanman, created a character called “Sasebo Burger Boy”, and a mascot is also exhibited in front of Sasebo Station.
The “Big Man Kyomachi Main Store” I went to is a long-established hamburger store founded in 1970. Big Man was also the first to sell bacon and eggs burgers. “Big Man Kyomachi Main Store” is still highly evaluated, as it was selected as “100 Famous Stores in 2021” in the tabelog of the meal site and ranked first in the hamburger category in Nagasaki Prefecture.
I entered the “Big Man Kyomachi Main Store” at around 12:40, but there were no customers. I was surprised that there were no customers at popular stores at lunch time, but more and more customers came in after I entered the store.
I ordered a special burger, french fries and a beer set for a total of Yen 1,650 (tax included). The price of the hamburger is Yen 880 (tax included) for the special burger and Yen 770 (tax included) for the original bacon and eggs burger. The special burger has cheddar cheese sandwiched between the original bacon and eggs burger. The special burger was freshly made and very delicious. However, considering the price, I thought I should have ordered the original bacon and eggs burger.
When I went to the bar at night and asked the waiter / waitress, it seems that Sasebo citizens don’t eat much Sasebo burger. That’s because the price is too high. Certainly, hamburgers, french fries and drinks that cost more than Yen 1,000 are not cheap. Sasebo Burger seems to be a local gourmet mainly for tourists. However, there is no doubt that it is delicious.
2. Sasaizumi
At night, I had dinner at the izakaya “Sasaizumi“. “Sasaizumi” is an izakaya with a fish tank inside. I entered the izakaya around 17:00, but it was full at 18:00. It can be said that it is one of the most popular izakaya in Sasebo city.
Izakaya with fish tanks are not so rare. Izakaya with a fish tank sometimes closes to the peculiar smell of fish, but it was wonderful that the fish tank of “Sasaizumi” had no odor at all.
I ordered assorted sashimi (red sea bream, amberjack, “angel’s shrimp”), live squid, roasted mackerel using herb mackerel, surimi fried, fried oysters, and sushi using live horse mackerel.
In sashimi (sea bream, amberjack, “angel’s shrimp”), amberjack was excellent. “Angel’s shrimp” is from New Caledonia. It was delicious because it was the highest quality shrimp for sashimi, but for me, Japanese northern shrimp was more delicious.
After eating live squid sashimi, the cook made tempura for free. The sashimi had a very strong sweetness of squid and was the best.
The roasted mackerel using herb mackerel was also very delicious. In Nagasaki Prefecture, mackerel grown by feeding a feed containing herbs is branded as “Nagasaki Herb Mackerel“.
What was more delicious than I had imagined was the “fried surimi” of fish. It had a fluffy texture and was delicious enough to eat as many as you like. It had a texture similar to Akashiyaki without octopus. “Fried surimi” seems to be a standard menu at Sasebo’s izakaya. If you go to Sasebo, please try it.
It was cold and it was the season for oysters, so the fried oyster was delicious. fried oyster is a classic winter food and is very delicious.
The last sushi I ate was delicious, but I was disappointed only by the late serving time. Other dishes were served about 5-10 minutes after ordering, but only the sushi using live horse mackerel took more than 30 minutes. The difference with other dishes was remarkable, and the delay in serving time was noticeable.
When I left the izakaya, there was a vending machine where I could buy “Sasaizumi” food. Isn’t it quite unusual for a vending machine to be located outside an izakaya store?
3. Gramophone
I left “Sasaizumi” and went to “Foreign Bar Street” for US soldiers. I wanted to drink at a store that is typical of Sasebo. Since Sasebo has a US military base, there is a restaurant for US soldiers. Of course, Japanese people can also enter the bar.
“Foreigner Bar Street” is located around Smile Hotel Sasebo in Sasebo Sanka-cho shopping mall. The Sasebo Sanka-cho shopping mall has a total length of 398 m and is the longest straight arcade town in Japan. Shops with English signboards are lined up in “Foreign Bar Street”.
I went to the long-established “Gramophone” in “Foreign Bar Street” and talked with American soldiers while drinking whiskey. It was said that the US soldiers had not completely returned due to the influence of the COVID‑19, but there were 3-4 customers. The American soldiers were all friendly people and it was a fun night in Sasebo. Even though it is a bar for US soldiers, the staff is Japanese, so you can rest assured.
Note: The departure / arrival times, fares, admission fees, meal fees, etc. of the transportation facilities listed in the text are as of the time of writing the BLOG. They may change in the future, so please verify yourself when you go on a trip.