Fukusaya

Fukusaya Nagasaki Main Store is the original castella specialty shop founded in 1624 (Kan’ei 1), at a time when Japan was moving toward national isolation. One thing that has remained unchanged since its founding is its “handmade method.” Skilled craftsmen have continued to pass down their techniques through a long history. From cracking eggs by hand, whisking them, mixing and stirring the ingredients, and baking in the oven, every step is done manually without using mixers. The ingredients are eggs, wheat flour, granulated sugar, zarame (coarse sugar), and mizuame (starch syrup). Only carefully selected ingredients based on long experience are used, and no food additives are used at all—an approach worthy of the name “craft castella.” A hallmark of Fukusaya castella is the zarame sugar crystals at the bottom. When you take a bite, you enjoy the fluffy, deep-flavored sponge along with the crisp texture of the zarame. Leaving the zarame in place is a difficult technique, requiring adjustments depending on seasonal changes such as temperature and humidity, and it takes years of experience and skill. Fukusaya’s castella is an essential Nagasaki souvenir. Access: from JR Nagasaki Station, take the streetcar (Tram Line 1) from “Nagasaki Station-mae” for about 10 minutes, get off at “Shianbashi,” then walk about 2–3 minutes.