Kagetsu

Housed in the former Hikitaya brothel building at the heart of old Maruyama, Nagasaki's licensed pleasure quarter founded in 1642, Kagetsu is one of only a few structures to survive from the quarter's opening until its abolition in 1872. Bakumatsu-era statesmen and artists once gathered here, including Sakamoto Ryoma, in what functioned as something of an international salon. An 800-tsubo Genroku-era garden, ranked among Nagasaki's three great gardens, is visible from nine distinct rooms, including what is said to be Japan's first Western-style room. The kitchen serves shippoku, Nagasaki's communal round-table cuisine blending Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese influences, alongside seasonal kaiseki, entirely by reservation.