Ide Champon

Ide Champon Main Store is a long-established champon restaurant founded in 1944 (Showa 19) in the midst of World War II. The founder had trained in donburi dishes in Osaka and opened a cafeteria in Kitagata, where he had evacuated; the menu included donburi, bento, catering dishes, and champon. Champon rose in popularity and eventually the shop specialized as a champon restaurant. The recipe has remained unchanged for 60 years: it is said the founder brought back the taste of champon he had eaten in Nagasaki and arranged it in his own way. Plenty of vegetables such as bean sprouts and onions blend with a rich tonkotsu (pork bone) soup and thick noodles, making it a hearty, nutritious bowl that satisfies both body and soul. Besides champon, the menu also includes katsudon, tamago-don, udon, ramen, gyoza, and more. Access: by car, about 8 minutes (about 2 km) from Takeo-Kitagata IC on the Nagasaki Expressway. By public transportation, it is about 2 km from JR Sasebo Line “Kitagata Station” (about a 30-minute walk). There are also buses from Kitagata Station: take a Yutoku bus bound for Takeo Onsen, get off at “Home Center Yutoku” bus stop, then walk about 3 minutes.