Tsuru-chan (Turkish Rice & Milkshakes)

Tsuru-chan is reputedly the oldest kissaten — traditional Japanese coffee shop — in Nagasaki, open since 1925, and it holds a special place in the city's food lore as the home of two beloved local creations: Turkish rice and the Nagasaki-style milkshake. Stepping inside is a trip into Showa-era nostalgia, all worn wood, old fixtures and a retro atmosphere that has changed little in generations, and it makes a delightful counterpoint to the city's older, more formal food institutions.

Turkish rice (Toruko raisu) is Nagasaki's most cheerfully improbable dish: a single plate combining pilaf-style rice, spaghetti in sauce and a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu), often finished with a curry or demi-glace sauce. Despite the name it has no connection to Turkey; the leading theory holds it was conceived as a plate uniting East and West, a fitting symbol for a port city that spent centuries absorbing foreign influence. Tsuru-chan is widely credited with popularising the dish, and its version remains a benchmark — indulgent, generous and quintessentially Nagasaki.

The shop is equally famous for its milkshake, which in Nagasaki means something closer to a thick, spoonable frozen dessert than the drinkable American version — a cold, creamy blend of ice, milk, egg and syrup that is a local speciality in its own right. Together, the Turkish rice and the milkshake capture the playful, hybrid character of Nagasaki's popular food culture, born of the city's long role as Japan's gateway to the world.

Beyond its signature items, Tsuru-chan serves the full range of retro kissaten fare — coffee, sandwiches, omurice and other Western-influenced comfort dishes — in an interior that feels genuinely of another era. It is casual, affordable and welcoming, a place locals have frequented for decades, and its enduring popularity means it can be busy at peak times.

The location could hardly be more convenient: just off the Shianbashi shopping arcade in the heart of central Nagasaki, a two-minute walk from the Shianbashi tram stop and close to the city's nightlife and dining quarter. That makes it an easy stop for lunch, an afternoon coffee, or a nostalgic dessert while exploring downtown. For travellers who want to taste the fun, cross-cultural, distinctly local side of Nagasaki food — the everyday dishes that grew out of the city's cosmopolitan history rather than its grand banquets — a plate of Turkish rice and a Nagasaki milkshake at Tsuru-chan is an essential and thoroughly enjoyable experience.