The Many Faces of the Sasebo Burger
While the U.S. may be known as home of the hamburger, there's also a burger named after a city in Japan. This style of hamburger was born in the city of Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, and the Sasebo Burger is now famous throughout Japan. What's it like? That's actually a tricky question, because there are so many variants!
By Jinichi Segawa
As Many Tastes as there are Shops
The recipe and ingredients for a Sasebo Burger will vary from shop to shop. The above breakdown of the Special Burger at Hamburger Shop Hikari (¥590) serves as a good starting example.
But you can also find the Fukkoku Burger (復刻バーガー), or Reissue Burger, which is a reconstruction of what Sasebo Burgers were like when they were first created. These burgers are made not using a beef patty, but using boned rib. You can get the one above in the restaurant at Hotel Resol Sasebo.
Or you can just get a Sasebo Burger for takeout, like this Special Burger (¥880) from Log Kit.
- logkit.jp (Japanese)
All About's photography guide is a professional photographer who also offers seminars, with tips on techniques from scenery to product shots all over Japan. He studied at the University of Wisconsin and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His work in All About Japan focuses on Japanese traditional and pop culture, as well as photography.
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