Steam fills 3 floors worth of restaurant stalls in Okonomimura, madly grilling Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki for crowds of visitors and locals alike. Nestled between the bottom of Hondori Shopping Street and the Nagarekawa drinking district in Downtown Hiroshima, this “Okonomiyaki Village” grills layered savory Japanese pancakes before your very eyes on a teppanyaki hotplate, called Hiroshima-yaki for short. Packed with a lively atmosphere and friendly chefs, Okonomimura was built in 1992, moving from the original restaurant park that opened in the 1950s to revitalize the city. With humble beginnings as a snack before World War II, Hiroshimayaki later was eaten as a meal following the war. This iconic savory pancake dish made from cabbage, eggs, noodles, and seafood is served with a thin pancake base and topped with thick soy sauce, pink pickled ginger, and a sprinkle of aonori (seaweed flakes). Eclectic in its ingredients (that is, whatever you fancy), Okonomimura’s Hiroshima-yaki is especially delicious with plump local oysters caught from Hiroshima Bay, and elevated by a generous squeeze of juicy lemons, locally-grown.

Okonomimura

The capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima City, was completely destroyed by the tragic bombing of 1945, but has since grown out of devastation into a modern city, with only the memory of the Peace Memorial Park remaining. Backing onto the Chugoku Mountains, Hiroshima is now a modern city with six rivers flowing through its heart, sometimes called the “City of Water.” Across from the island of Shikoku, Hiroshima Prefecture and the beautiful Hiroshima Bay opens out onto the Seto Inland Sea with a smattering of smaller islands in-between. The iconic UNESCO World Heritage site of Miyajima Island, formally known as Itsukushima, is home to the huge red torii gate rising from its glorious waters. 

Shelter from Shikoku and gentle wind from the inland sea makes the climate in Hiroshima Prefecture mild all year round, with great weather for producing the country’s highest quality lemons. Hiroshima Bay also grows Hiroshima’s famous oysters, enormous and succulent; they’re delicious served inside a slab of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (a savory Japanese pancake with layered ingredients). With over 50 breweries, the city of Hiroshima proudly owns the Saijo sake brewing district, protecting a fierce reputation as one of the top three sake-producing areas in Japan. Hiroshima Prefecture is also known for its delicious salt water eel, anago, drenched with a sweet soy glaze. There are also a number of local specialties within Hiroshima Prefecture. Onomichi is famous for its namesake ramen, and for being a picturesque filming location for a number of popular Japanese period films, while the ship-building port city of Kure is famous for its kaiji-kare, a special Japanese curry eaten every Friday by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force stationed along the inland sea. With access to mountains and sea, Hiroshima Prefecture is a less-traveled destination featuring a bounty of fine local foods.

Hiroshima

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Tucked to the south of Honshu between the Chugoku Mountains and the Seto Inland Sea, the humble Hiroshima Prefecture is known for its oysters and freshwater eel, as well as local okonomiyaki and sake produced in the revitalized capital of Hiroshima. 

The “Okonomiyaki Village” of the downtown Hiroshima City, Okonomimura plays homage to the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki boasting 25 restaurant stalls selling it throughout the day. 

Gluten-free

Halal

Kosher

Vegan

Vegetarian

Pescetarian

Shopping time

With dessert

With 2 drinks

On this Ultimate Hiroshima Food Tour, you’ll experience the lesser-seen side of Hiroshima, discovering the local craftsmanship, food culture, and the welcoming personality of this vibrant city. With an English-speaking guide to show you the way, try classic local dishes like Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki as well as spicy Tsukemen (dipping noodles) which will be sure to delight ramen-lovers! Scope out the sprawling shopping arcades of downtown Hiroshima and even a surprising indoor teppanyaki village and a traditional yet inventive Japanese dessert shop!

The Ultimate Hiroshima Food Tour will begin near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which houses the Peace Memorial Museum and A-Bomb Dome (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). But this food tour will show you a different side to Hiroshima, giving you a local experience that goes beyond the tragic past of Hiroshima and offers you a peek at the future through the optimistic and friendly lens of local shop owners, chefs, and craftspeople.

Food tour of a particular area or neighborhood.

Neighborhood/Area Tours

Ultimate Hiroshima Food Tour

Family-friendly

Wear kimono

Beautiful higashi candies are typical Japanese wagashi sweets made from soybean flour and sugar, colorful and chalky but very cute! With intricate handmade designs, higashi are both delicious and beautiful, making them the perfect sweet to be used in a Japanese tea ceremony. It’s dryness perfectly counteracts the wetness and bitter taste of matcha green tea. Higashi making from fresh ingredients meaning that these delicate sweets should be eaten in a few days.

For those who are visiting the beautiful island of Miyajima, then this higashi making sweet class would be a perfect activity to break up the day! Learn how to make your own higashi sweets during this Sweet Higashi Making Class in Miyajima, where you’ll make these delicate sweets from scratch, and then eat them with a delicious cup of green tea. Plus, you’ll wear a kimono while you’re at it, as this class includes a session of Japanese kimono wearing, an opportunity to try on a beautiful kimono before you join the higashi making class. For a full higashi making sweet experience during a day out in Miyajima, join this Sweet Higashi Making Class in Miyajima for a fun double activity.

A fun, hands-on cooking experience for home cooks, people with basic cooking skills, or kids.

Food Experiences

Restaurant Reservation

Gourmet Product

Okonomimura