3 Trip Themes recommended for a trip to Sasebo

Sasebo city, located in the northern part of Nagasaki prefecture, flourished as a naval port of the former Navy in the past. Visitors can see various breathtaking views thanks to its rich nature. In addition, Sasebo has the mixed culture ‘wakaran culture’, which means a mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch cultures, so visitors can taste local dishes, inspired by the culture unique to Nagasaki, as well as fresh seafood. Why not visit Sasebo where you can enjoy any trip themes including sea and mountains, historical spots and local foods?

This time, we’re going to introduce 3 trip themes allowing you to have experiences unique to Nagasaki around Sasebo Washington Hotel.

Theme1: Exploring Instagrammable Spots -“Nagasaki Prefectural Saikaibashi Park”

“Nagasaki Prefectural Saikaibashi Park” is located at the foot of Saikai Bridge spanning Hario Strait. In the park rich in nature, there are an adventure playground, observation decks and so on that attract many locals and tourist. Colored by about 1,000 cherry blossoms from late March to early April, this park is also famous as one of the most popular places for cherry blossom viewing. At the same time, it is also the time when the rapid tide of Hario Strait swirls, so don’t miss the spectacular view that you can’t see anywhere else! During the period of ‘Saikai Bridge Whirlpool Festival‘ from 21st March 2019 to 7th April 2019, you can enjoy the splendid contrast between the cherry blossoms and the swirling tides while food stall-hop.

Opening Hours	Open 24 hours everyday
Address	2678 Hariohigashi-machi, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Access	A 3-min walk from Saikaibashi-higashiguchi where it takes 50 mins by Higo bus from JR Sasebo station.
URL	http://saikaibashi.com/publics/index/#googtrans(ja|en)

Theme 2: Savoring Local Foods -“Sasaizumi”

There are many long-established restaurants and popular ones, where many locals frequently visit, around Sasebo Station. Among them, a restaurant ‘Sasaizumi’ with 100 years of history is especially recommended. Let’s enjoy local foods such as lemon steak and fried surimi (minced marine meat) and fresh seafood to your heart’s content! They purchase seafood directly from fishermen every day, take out it from a fish tank after ordering and cook it. Therefore, the moment you take a bite of sashimi, the sweet flavor unique to fresh fish bursts in your mouth. Moreover, they have other attractive menus, including a branded fish ‘Nagasaki Herb Salmon’ which doesn’t smell fishy and the original Japanese sake from Sasaizumi.

Opening Hours	11:30AM – 11:00PM　Closed on Monday
Address	4-4 Shimokyo-machi, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Access	A 10-min walk from the hotel
URL	https://tabelog.com/en/nagasaki/A4202/A420201/42000419/

Finding Traditional Crafts For Daily Use -“Hasami Porcelain”

“Hasami Porcelain” was begun to be crafted 400 years ago as tableware for general people. To our surprises, despite it’s a traditional craft, the number of stylish Hasami Porcelain for modern lifestyle is increasing. Walking around Sasebo, you can find many shops that sell a variety of Hasami Porcelain tableware painted white, yellow, blue and other colors or with modern Japanese design. In addition to them, there are also other tableware such as chopstick rests, soy sauce pots and Chinese soup spoon. How about finding your favorite Hasami Porcelain? By the way, at some shops, you can paint pictures on a plate and get the only one Hasami Porcelain in the world.