Kagetsu

The Maruyama neighborhood, where Kagetsu is located, was recognized as a red-light district in the 1600s, making it the only Japanese city that foreign merchants were permitted to access in the infamously remote nation. It was originally founded in 1642 as a luxurious geisha house. The Hiketaya brothel in this area housed Kagetsu, which was first a tea shop. When Kagetsu started as the restaurant it is today, Nagasaki Prefecture certified it as a historical landmark in 1960.

Currently, Kagetsu is still the must-visit place to sample shippoku food, a delicacy that celebrates Nagasaki's cosmopolitan identity. Nagasaki cuisine illustrates the invasion of flour and sugar that were infrequently seen in the rest of the country at that time because the city served as the historical gateway to Japan, a notoriously closed-off nation at the time. At a circular table, food influenced by the cuisines of the Chinese, Dutch, and Portuguese is presented. Unlike the well-known Kaiseki cuisine of Kyoto, which is presented one dish at a time, the courses at Shippoku are served family-style, in courses of several dishes at once, each of which is a depiction of the diverse landscapes from whence the materials originated.

Location: 16-3 Oaki Higashimachi, Toba 517-0022, Japan
Phone: +81 599-26-5252
Website: kagetu.co.jp