Shortly after the war, Kougetsu Town was home to the first public baseball stadium in Nagasaki Prefecture.
It was closed in 1980 due to the construction of a new stadium. The new stadium is now located across the Ainoura River from the Ainoura Garrison of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces. The Sasebo City Sports and Culture Center was built on the site of the original stadium and is a popular place for local residents to engage in sports and cultural activities.

One place that has been loved in Kozukicho for over 40 years is the jazz bar and restaurant "FLAT FIVE." We asked them about the reason why the bar is loved in Sasebo, a city with a thriving jazz scene, and the charms of Sasebo.

Neverending Days

When you open the door to the shop, marked by a red lantern that says "Jazz Place," you will be enveloped in amber light.
We were greeted by owner and chef Teruyuki Habara, who is affectionately known as "Teru-san." He left his hometown to go to university, but after returning he honed his culinary skills at the Annex Restaurant of one of Sasebo's leading department stores. He transformed the coffee and karaoke snack bar run by his mother into the current "FLAT FIVE."

"When we got rid of the karaoke equipment to play jazz, the number of customers dropped by one third. But we still wanted to make this a place where people could enjoy jazz. The number of customers also decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. But I never get bored of doing business (laughs)."

Habara-san looks back on his 40 years of journey, including the time when he changed his career and the recent difficulties he has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a "casual" manner that includes jokes. Perhaps the reason the bar has been loved for so many years is because he has not compromised on creating a place where people can enjoy jazz music even as times change.

A specialty created by a regular customer

The restaurant serves handmade original dishes made with ingredients from Nagasaki and Japan. Among them, "Derekrais" is a hidden specialty of Sasebo. The story behind the creation of this specialty is related to a musician.

It all started 30 years ago. When they were developing an original menu inspired by Mexican cuisine, Derek, an American who was working as a musician at Huis Ten Bosch, visited the restaurant. He liked what would later become Derek Rice so much that he ate it ten times during his last week before returning to Japan. Habara was so impressed that he promised Derek that he would give the dish a name, and thus the famous Derek Rice was born. After returning to Japan, Habara published the recipe in English so that Derek could understand. A few years later, they were reunited on social media.

Connecting people on an equal footing

"I think that people who are into music will know it's a music store when they see the name. But we also want people to feel free to just drop in. We've seen a lot of players who have moved to Tokyo or Fukuoka... and we hope places like this can help them connect."

Habara talks about the jazz scene in Sasebo while looking around at the instruments at the back of the store. Habara's passion for music and players connects people through "FLAT FIVE" and gives birth to new opportunities. In the past, Habara and a regular customer formed a band and performed musically.

It's not just music lovers that Habara connects with. Some people visit the bar as a second home to relax after work.

Some people see the name "FLAT FIVE" and visit the store for the music, while others visit for the specialty Derek Rais...there are many ways to get to know the city of Sasebo. It seems like you can casually experience the charm of Sasebo through food and music.

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Jazz Bar＆Restaurant FLAT FIVE

電話：0956-22-8100
住所：佐世保市光月町2-3　新京パーキング2階
アクセス：西肥バス停「島瀬町」より徒歩4分
SNS：https://www.instagram.com/derekrice1/

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