Octie Appetie: Japan 2024 Trip Part 16: A Day Trip to Nagasaki

Previously:

Japan 2024 Trip Part 15: Yatai Food Stalls, Nakasu

The train journey from Hakata to Nagasaki takes approximately one and half hours and this trip is covered by JR Pass. If you have more time, I suggest staying overnight in Nagasaki as there are plenty things to explore and food to try here. As we only had limited time, we did a short-day trip here.

When I looked at the timetable, it said that we needed to change train at Takeonsen station to go to Nagasaki from Fukuoka. But we only had three minutes until the next train departs. I was a little worried if in case that we need to change platform. Luckily, the train was just right across on the same platform.

Getting around Nagasaki city, the most convenient way is by catching a streetcar. You can buy a one-way ticket for 140yen or if you spend like a day trip here and would visit many places like I did, get the day pass for 600yen. You can buy this ticket from the information centre at Nagasaki Station. The streetcar covers most attraction places, such as Atomic Bomb Museum, Chinatown, Meganeashi bridge, Sofukuji temple and so on.

If you carry this day pass, make sure that you get off from the front door of the streetcar, as you need to show your pass to the driver before hopping off.

Fatman

Nagasaki Chinatown

Pork belly bun 350yen

Their bun here was ordinary, if there is more sauce on the pork, it would taste a lot better.

Xiao long bao 300yen/3pcs or 900 for 10pcs

Of course, we're in Chinatown and of course, we wanted to have Chinese food here. There are a few Chinese restaurants in the area. We basically just randomly picked the one that looking good, not so pricey with customers already inside the restaurant. Those are the basic reasons in safely choosing restaurant in an unknown place. To be honest, I didn't do any homework before coming here, I only searched for Nagasaki's delicacies and what to eat but not with the recommended restaurant.

So, we landed here in Chun Xia Qiu Dong restaurant on the Shinchimachi, Chinatown main street. The restaurant is pretty big compared to the others and the place looks clean too as a matter of course. Also, there are variety menus to choose from.

Mapo tofu (Spicy/Large) 1,880yen

Sweet and sour pork 2,380yen

Stir-fried shredded pork and green pepper 1,380yen.

Fried rice with shrimp 1,080yen

Champon (noodle soup with seafood) 980yen

I was so looking forward to trying that Champon noodle dish which is a regional delicacy here in Nagasaki. Champon is a hearty noodle soup that comes with mixed vegetables and variety proteins in it as well. It could be pork, chicken and seafood. This dish is first created by one Chinese immigrant for Chinese students who live in this area. Not only it is filling and nutritious but he charged the dish in a cheap price so students can afford it.

The one we had from this place was I would not say we were disappointed, but it wasn't that extraordinary either. It was simply a ramen dish served in a thick pork broth with some mixed vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, bacon and seafood. It is no doubt a healthy and fragrant noodle dish, but I still prefer the normal tonkotsu ramen though.

Overall, their food were pretty good, especially that deep fried pork coated with sweet and sour sauce, it was delightful and they also made a really great fried rice dish. For the spicy dishes like mapo tofu and shredded pork with green pepper, they were quite light and not too spicy at all so easy to handle.