[Nagasaki] “Aquarium” “Chinatown” “Lao Lee” Sightseeing, Travel, Hotel (Nagasaki, Japan)

Hello! This is Hitapapa.

I am a working father of three boys (ages 6, 3 and 1).

This time, while I was thinking about various things like “What should I do every day during Golden Week?”, “Everywhere will be crowded?”, and “The kids will be bored every day”, we decided to go on a two-day, one-night trip to Nagasaki!

If you have small children, you may find it difficult to go on a trip because you have to walk a lot to sightsee, children get bored at places adults want to go, they get tired and start to cry halfway through, it’s hard to get them to eat at restaurants, etc.

When we had one child, we used to travel quite a bit, but after we had our second and third child, we almost never traveled (we couldn’t)… (ﾉД`)

However, this time, we were in the middle of the Golden Week holidays, so we decided to take the plunge and go sightseeing in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, with our three children (ages 6, 3, and 1)! (By the way, our home is in Fukuoka Prefecture.)

This time, we will introduce a recommended Nagasaki travel itinerary that the whole family can enjoy without any stress, even if you have small children!

Here are the points that our family focused on when taking our small children with us this time.

And a stroller is a must-have item to bring !

By the age of three, children are able to walk quite well, but they will still get tired and unable to walk or will become sleepy while traveling, so if you have a child around the age of three, be sure to bring a stroller!

By the age of 4, your child will be stronger and will no longer need a stroller.

Also, it’s essential to bring some snacks !

If your child gets tired and cranky along the way, or if the adults get bored after visiting a fun tourist spot, giving them some sweets will quickly put them in a good mood!

The effects of sweets are enormous!

Now, let us introduce you to a recommended sightseeing course in Nagasaki city (Day 1) that you can enjoy with small children!

Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium

This is definitely a fun place for kids!

Because there are lots of penguins!

It is located about a 15-minute drive from the center of Nagasaki city.

A huge penguin welcomes you.

I thought 520 yen for adults and 310 yen for children was pretty cheap!

Even though it was a penguin aquarium, there were fishes too!

There were sharks, rays and even moray eels!

Penguins appear!

This is the indoor penguin room, and there are quite a few penguins in it!

This is the outside penguin zone.

Everyone seems to be waiting for food.

The view from the penguin aquarium is amazing!

It faces the sea and the breeze feels great.

I wasn’t able to take any photos, but there was also an experience zone where you could touch starfish and other creatures, which was very popular with the kids!

Nagasaki Chinatown

Next up we headed to Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, a place that adults want to go to!

One of the three largest Chinatowns in Japan, it’s always crowded!

The key to keeping the kids from getting bored in Chinatown this time was to have them eat takeout food along the way and buy toys and sweets for them as souvenirs !

Scenery of Chinatown

You’ll feel like you’re on a trip to China!

Chinatown is exciting with its many flashy red and green signs.

It’s right in the middle of Golden Week, so there are a lot of people!

There is also a square on the outskirts of Chinatown.

This is a relaxing Chinese-style square.

This is what Chinatown looks like at night.

The neon signs (illuminations?) are beautiful and add to the exotic atmosphere!

Take-out food at “Chinese Cuisine Shunkashuto”

Many shops in Chinatown offer takeout options, mainly steamed dishes.

This time, I got takeout from the Chinese restaurant “Chinese Restaurant Shunkashuto”!

Chimaki (300 yen), mini pork buns (80 yen), peach buns (100 yen), and braised pork buns (400 yen).

Xiaolongbao (100 yen), shumai (100 yen).

For some reason, kids love these Chinese steamed dishes!

Once again, this Chinese steamed dish was a big hit with the kids!

It’s piping hot and super delicious!

As expected, takeout food from authentic Chinese restaurants is the best.

Shopping at “Yuyi Shoten”

There are many souvenir shops in Chinatown that sell Chinese goods.

This time, we went shopping at “Youyi Shoten,” which had a good selection of products and had many of the things we wanted!

It’s right in the center of Chinatown, at an intersection, so it’s easy to find.

The store doesn’t have an “entrance” – everything is open, so you can see the atmosphere inside and enter from any direction, so the barrier to entry is incredibly low!

The staff were also very friendly and made me feel very comfortable.

For some reason, the kids wanted a stuffed panda (lol)

It’s cute when you buy it ♪

This makes the kids so happy so I’m glad I bought it!

Chinese sweets “Ma Hua Er” (Ma Falou).

In Nagasaki, it is commonly called “Yoriyori” because of its appearance.

It is a wheat-based snack that is quite hard and has a crunchy, crackling texture.

It is not too sweet and tastes like a simple biscuit.

It has a rich flavor and a great texture, making it an addictive snack.

This is another Chinese sweet called “money cake”.

Cookies baked with white sesame seeds.

You’ll be hooked on this dish for its fragrant sesame flavor and light, timeless taste!

This is the Chinese tea “Tieguanyin tea.”

It is a type of oolong tea and is very fragrant and delicious.

The taste is similar to the standard Suntory Oolong Tea in Japan.

This is Chinese tea called “Jasmine Tea”.

It’s jasmine tea!

This Chinese green tea is scented with jasmine, giving it a refreshing and rich aroma.

It leaves your mouth feeling refreshed and is very delicious.

This is a set of six cans of Chinese tea.

A set of “Jasmine tea”, “Black tea”, “Green tea”, “Tieguanyin tea”, “Eyebrow tea (green tea)”, and “Oolong tea”.

It comes in small portions, so it’s perfect for people who want to try a variety of Chinese teas!

Dining at Taiwanese Cuisine Specialty Restaurant “Lao Lee”

This is “Lao Lee”, a Taiwanese restaurant.

There is another store in the center of Chinatown, but this is the main store, located on the outskirts of Chinatown.

I came here hoping to try Nagasaki’s classic dishes, “champon” and “sara udon”!

I’ve tried champon and sara udon at several restaurants in Chinatown, but “Lao Lee” is my favorite!

Exterior

It’s a popular restaurant that gets very crowded even on normal weekends, but since it was right in the middle of Golden Week, there was a line before the restaurant even opened.

By the time we finished eating and left, there was still a line!

There are lots of celebrity autographs inside the store!!

I wasn’t able to take a photo of everything, but the entire wall was covered in signs!!

Definitely a popular restaurant.

Lao Lee Set 1,540 yen

A set of ramen, fried rice, boiled dumplings, and almond tofu.

You can eat a variety of things with just one!

The soup is light and has a smooth texture.

The flavor is based on soy sauce and comes from a variety of dashi stocks, making it very rich and delicious!

The crunchy bean sprouts and chives add a nice accent.

Lao Lee’s fried rice is “moist.”

Rather than being light and fluffy, it is moist and full of oil.

The savory grilled taste and rich flavor make it super delicious!!

If you like moist fried rice, this is a must-try dish.

The boiled dumplings have a chewy skin and are juicy inside.

It tastes like Xiaolongbao and is absolutely delicious!

Almond tofu with a refreshing and mellow sweetness.

It has a fairly firm texture and is easy to eat – it’s delicious!

Chanpon 1,160 yen

It’s packed with a lot of ingredients, including plenty of vegetables and seafood, and has a great broth!

The soup is light pork bone based and very smooth and easy to eat.

The light soup combines with the flavors of vegetables and seafood to create a delicious bowl of ramen!

The soup is relatively low in salt, so you’ll find yourself drinking it all up thanks to the rich flavor of the broth!

Sara udon 1,270 yen

Lao Lee’s Sara Udon noodles have a slightly sweet flavor.

The plentiful ingredients are crispy with vegetables, creamy sauce, and crunchy noodles – it’s delicious!

A parade of textures!!

Apparently it’s common in Nagasaki to pour Worcestershire sauce and vinegar over sara udon, so after eating about half of it, I poured Worcestershire sauce and vinegar over it as I ate!!

Worcestershire sauce and vinegar go surprisingly well together, so be sure to give it a try!

It’s the ultimate taste change!

Children’s set (ramen) 830 yen

This is a children’s set that includes ramen, egg omelet, boiled dumplings, sesame dumplings, and almond tofu.

I tried the tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled egg), and it was truly authentic Chinese food! It had a very authentic taste and was super delicious!

Children’s set (fried rice) 830 yen

This is a children’s set with fried rice as the main dish.

Staying at “Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Chinatown”

This time, I stayed at the 4-star hotel “Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Chinatown”, located just a 1-minute walk from Nagasaki Chinatown!

It was newly built in 2020 (we stayed there in 2024), so everything is sparkling clean!

I was surprised that I was able to make a reservation on the day right in the middle of Golden Week, especially since I searched online the day before. I think there must have been some last-minute cancellations.

The hotel was so good (and reasonably priced) that I wrote a separate article just about it, so please do read it!

[Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Chinatown] Sightseeing, Travel, Hotel (Nagasaki, Japan)[Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Chinatown] Sightseeing, Travel, Hotel (Nagasaki, Japan)...

Day 1 End

On the first day, we only visited two places: the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium and Nagasaki Chinatown.

This schedule may seem a little short, but when you have small children, everything from moving around to eating takes time, so a schedule with this much flexibility is just right.

Also, if you pack the schedule too tightly, the kids will get tired and start to get fussy, so I think it’s best to keep the schedule loose.

Choosing a hotel with a large public bath was a great choice!

My kids love hot springs and big baths, so they are overjoyed just to have a large public bath here!

Staying in a hotel is fun for kids!

It’s a good idea to have a relaxing evening at the hotel with your kids without any schedules.

The sightseeing course for the second day will be in the next article!

Please also take a look at the article on recommended sightseeing courses for the second day ↓↓↓ ♪

【１泊２日　長崎旅行②】小さな子どもと一緒でも大丈夫！！オススメの長崎の観光コース（２日目）小さな子どもと一緒でも楽しめるオススメの１泊２日の長崎観光コースをご紹介します！子どもが小さくて旅行に行くのが難しいとお悩みのお父さん・お母さんはぜひ見てみてください！...

See you soon!