Nagasaki: Flame of Sasebo Jazz Reignited Thanks to Young Talent

By Takashi Nobira / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:15 JST, December 6, 2025&

SASEBO, Nagasaki — A powerful harmony of saxophones, drums, bass, piano and trombone fills the air in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, with pleasant music one day in October.

This city once flourished as a naval port and still hosts bases for the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is a place where resilience and rhythm intersect.

In this city with an exotic flavor, it was jazz that captured the spirit of the post-war era. Many jazz musicians performed for U.S. military personnel and others, but the fervor is now quietly fading.

To rekindle the flame in Sasebo, initiatives are being launched to revitalize the community through promotional activities aimed at the younger generation and events targeting young people.

In early October, a joint practice session took place at a studio in the city, attended by 15 elementary, junior high and high school students. Most of them had no prior experience in jazz.

As members of the Sasebo Jazz Junior Ensemble, founded in March of last year, they devote themselves to daily practice.

Seira Kawabata, a 14-year-old junior high school student, joined in September of last year. She plays the bass and had almost no musical experience but mastered improvisation in just one year.

“Creating a sense of unity through an ensemble is the real thrill of jazz,” she said.

Jazz began to catch on in Sasebo in the 1950s. A flood of jazz artists streamed into the dance halls and cabarets in Sasebo, where a U.S. naval base was established shortly after the war.

However, as times changed, the cabarets where the music once echoed began to disappear. Jazz cafes, which were a place for residents to encounter the music in their daily lives, similarly decreased in number.

Nevertheless, a large annual event called Sasebo Jazz, established by dedicated volunteers in 1991, has persevered. Its flame has been kept alive even through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sasebo Jazz executive committee, motivated by the belief that nurturing new talent was essential to prevent the city’s jazz culture from disappearing, called upon local children to form the Junior Ensemble.

The ensemble is instructed by Mio Hayashida, 41, who runs a jazz school in the city. “I want this to open the door for the younger generation to encounter jazz,” she said.

Persistent and steady efforts to spread jazz are also under way.

Kazutaka Maeda, 64, runs Jazz Spot Easel, one of the few jazz bars in the city. He strives to introduce jazz to everyone. He holds Sasebo seaside concerts near JR Sasebo Station on Sundays for two months each spring and autumn.

“I want to continue these grassroots activities so that both the young and old can enjoy jazz,” he said.

In correlation with the National Cultural Festival held in Nagasaki Prefecture from September to November, the city’s junior high schools and district community centers host live jazz concerts and performance workshops.

The 32nd Sasebo Jazz took place in November, with the Sasebo Junior Ensemble performing as part of the event.

“Jazz is never boring because the individuality of every single player bursts out. I’ll keep chasing jazz for the rest of my life,” said Fumi Hirata, a 17-year-old high school student, with a smile.

Hayashida said, “I want to create opportunities for people to experience jazz in their everyday life, so that we all can proudly say that Sasebo is a city of jazz.”

Sasebo rich in tourist sites

Situated in the northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture, the city’s population stands at roughly 227,000. Facing the East China Sea, the city was a vital base for the former Imperial Japanese Navy starting around the time of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). The city’s Uragashira Port is known for being the landing point for about 1.4 million repatriates after the Pacific War.

It has several tourist spots, with many people visiting the large resort facility Huis Ten Bosch and the Kujukushima Islands archipelago throughout the year. Due to its status as a “military base city,” a unique food culture has also taken root. “Sasebo burger” and “lemon steak” are particularly beloved by residents.