Sasebo is not just the second biggest town in Nagasaki prefecture but it is well known for hosting one of the biggest US Navy bases in Japan since the end of World War II.

The city has very authentic vibes and day and night are two different worlds: during the day Sasebo is a big fishing town surrounded by beautiful nature. At night, teenagers singing and playing guitar, US marines walking around with their camouflage uniforms and the young local gangs controlling the red light district under a high police presence make you wonder that there is certainly something going on in that town. 

Tenkaiho observatory is located a few kilometers south-west of the city center and on the way up you can see a bunch of US Navy ships docked at the harbour. As shown on the video above, the views from Tenkaiho observatory are stunning. Even though it’s a perfect location to see the sunset, it is also a great spot to start your day with a coffee and breakfast next to the statue of Hozumi Tanaka, a distinguished man of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The beauty of this tiny peninsula does not end at the observatory. If you keep going down south and take road 149 around you will encounter small fishing towns, narrow roads full of trees and plants and several spots for picnic and to enjoy the sunset.

As you might have heard, the Dutch played a big role in Japanese history by being the only western nation that was allowed to trade with Japan for decades, therefore Dutch names and architecture are present all around Nagasaki prefecture.

A few Kilometers away from Sasebo city there is a theme park called “Huis Ten Bosch” which is basically a replica of Holland: Dutch like buildings, canals, windmills, food, music and more… After walking around I could not exactly grasp what to do as a visitor since there were no people or rides of any kind. It seemed to be more of a resort to spend holidays with your loved ones. In any case, Huis Ten Bosch will definitely make you feel in the Netherlands for a few hours. 

Sasebo is a particular city influenced by diversity: thousands of US marines, a red light district and its gangs, temples, wild nature and a massive ghost “little Holland”.

If you have a chance to visit, Sasebo will definitely keep you entertained.