Hiroshima food: What to eat on your shore day

You’re sitting in a small restaurant on the waterfront of Hiroshima during a Japan cruise, with the calm, sheltered waters of the Seto Inland Sea in the background. Perhaps you’re sampling some of the finest oysters and grilled eel Japan has to offer, both of which come from that remarkably beautiful body of water. Or maybe you’ve decided to try some Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, filled with vegetables grown on the sun-drenched hills surrounding the bay. Cruise guests stepping ashore  encounter this memorable Hiroshima food culture, shaped by geography, history and a firm determination to renew, rebuild and remember, where each dish carries a story worth knowing before the first bite.

Okonomiyaki is among Japan’s most famous dishes, and includes regional variations on the savory pancake generally consisting of wheat flour batter, vegetables and other ingredients cooked on the teppan, or flat griddle. Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki is likely the dish most closely associated with Hiroshima food culture. Osaka’s okonomiyaki is likely the most familiar to worldwide visitors, with all of its ingredients mixed into the batter before pouring it on the griddle to cook. However, Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki ingredients are not mixed before cooking, but rather the cake is built in layers on the griddle. 

It starts as the cook pours out a measure of batter and spreads it in a crepe-thin circle to create the pancake element of the dish. Then a large mound of fresh, finely shredded cabbage and beansprouts are placed atop the pancake, and may be seasoned with dashi (shaved, dried fish flakes), bits of bacon or dried squid, depending on your preferences and the individual restaurant. Commonly, several slices of pork belly are layered on top, then the whole affair is flipped over to allow the pork belly to get caramelized against the hot griddle surface. This also helps to steam the cabbage to a tender state. 

Separately, the cook griddles a similarly sized layer of yakisoba noodles (typically, though udon noodles may be an option) until they get slightly crispy on the edges. An egg is also fried as a separate layer, then the okonomiyaki is stacked together, either with the noodles on top or the egg (again, depending on the restaurant). A sweet, savory okonomiyaki sauce (think Japanese BBQ sauce) is added, and the cake is cut into wedges or pieces and either served directly on the teppan or on a separate plate. The result is denser than Osaka-style okonomiyaki, more substantial and distinctly its own dish.

Okonomiyaki is not just delicious, but served an important function in the difficult years following the atomic bombing of 1945. Okonomiyaki stalls were among the first food businesses to return to Hiroshima’s streets, so the dish fed the city during reconstruction and became woven into its identity as a result. Guests who are aware of this poignant history will appreciate it differently. 

The layered structure, the careful cooking and assembly and the  savory-sweet flavor profile of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki have broad appeal. Children (and adults) respond to the egg, noodles and the visual theater of watching it built on a griddle in front of them. Most Hiroshima okonomiyaki restaurants have counter seating where guests can watch the cook perform this near-ritualistic culinary dance.

The Seto Inland Sea produces oysters that rank among Japan’s finest. Hiroshima prefecture produces over 60% of Japan’s farmed oysters, and the calm, mineral-rich waters and carefully managed cultivation rafts have made this the country’s oyster capital for over 400 years. 

Guests can enjoy these jewels of the sea in several ways, including oysters served grilled (yaki-gaki) over charcoal at Miyajima’s waterfront restaurants, deep-fried (kaki-furai) as a crispy set meal or steamed and dressed simply with ponzu. Each preparation reveals a different flavor profile of the same mollusk.

Miyajima island (technically called Itsukushima) waterfront restaurants include several dedicated to Hiroshima oysters, and guests visiting on a Princess® excursion to the island pass them naturally on the walk between the ferry and the shrine. Partaking of fresh oysters delicately grilled over charcoal at a waterfront counter is one of the more memorable shore-day experiences available in Japan.

Fresh, raw oysters are one of nature's true delicacies, but children or guests who aren't up to this culinary experience, or who may be cautious about raw shellfish, will find the cooked versions more approachable and widely popular with families.

You may already be a fan of unagi, the freshwater eel found across Japan with its fatty, rich meat so popular when served grilled in sushi restaurants worldwide. However, Hiroshima’s anago (saltwater conger eel) is lighter and more delicate than the freshwater unagi. Anago is less rich, with an ocean-clean flavor that suits the Seto Inland Sea setting from which it comes.

Anago meshi or conger eel over rice is the classic Miyajima preparation, featuring sliced, grilled anago served over rice cooked in a savory broth made from the eel bones. The eel and rice are often served in a lacquered box and glazed with a sweet soy tare. Anago meshi is sold at specialist shops near the island’s ferry terminal and along the approach to Itsukushima Shrine. This makes an ideal shore-day meal: compact, convenient, beautifully presented in its lacquered box and eaten at a relaxed pace that fits the island’s contemplative atmosphere.

This dish is another family-friendly option, without any strong fish smell and with its mild flavor and sweet glaze, anago meshi is approachable for children and guests unfamiliar with eel or fish dishes in general.

The original momiji manju were maple leaf-shaped steamed buckwheat and rice cakes filled with sweetened red bean paste, and are one of the most recognizable items in hiroshima food culture. These still remain very popular, but the variations have expanded into contemporary options such as those filled with custard, chocolate, matcha, cheese or other fillings. The shape references Miyajima’s famous autumn maple foliage, which is as stunning as the cherry blossoms in the spring.

These snacks are widely available across Miyajima from small bakeries and confectionery shops. Guests often enjoy them warm, fresh from the griddle, at street-facing counters along the main approach to the shrine.

Not only are these pastries delicious, these family friendly treats also travel well, making them the natural souvenir purchase of a perfect Miyajima shore day. They’re compact and available in assorted decorative boxes for bringing home for gifts or keepsakes (the boxes, at least).

The sunny  hillsides above the Seto Inland Sea produce Setouchi lemons of unusual fragrance. Hiroshima Prefecture grows the majority of Japan’s domestic lemon crop, and the fruit appears throughout the city in forms guests may or may not expect. Lemon-flavored ice cream is widely sold at Miyajima and city-center stalls, and lemon ponzu sauce is often served alongside oysters and other seafood. You can find lemon- or hassaku-infused (a slightly bitter citrus variety native to Hiroshima) sweets, teas and other drinks at specialty shops. The refreshing citrus flavor can weave throughout your day in Hiroshima at multiple points — in a ponzu sauce, a sweet, a cold drink on a warm afternoon, in a refreshing scoop of ice cream — and becomes one of the subtle signatures guests associate with Hiroshima.

Tsukemen and shiru nashi tantanmen are two distinct, popular styles of Japanese noodle dishes served separately with or without a hot soup broth for dipping. Tsukemen features cold noodles that are dipped into a rich hot broth, while shiru nashi tantanmen is a hot, spicy and nutty soupless ramen that may be served cold, hot or at room temperature. A concentrated sesame-chilli sauce is typically served on the side, and guests dip each mouthful rather than eating from a bowl of broth as with traditional ramen. The spice level is adjustable at most restaurants and the dish has become one of the city’s most distinctive modern specialties.

For families, the spice level can be requested mild at most establishments, and the familiar “ramen” format and the dipping of each bite is interactive and tends to appeal to older children. 

Onomichi ramen is a regional style associated with eastern Hiroshima Prefecture, made with flat wheat noodles in a pork-back-fat broth with a soy base. This can be found at specialty ramen shops in Hiroshima city for guests exploring independently after an excursion.

For cruise guests, Hiroshima's signature food experiences unfold naturally across the day. You can get okonomiyaki in the city, oysters or anago (or both) on Miyajima and momiji manju on the walk back to the ferry. Lemon-flavored treats fit in anywhere along the way. Guests on the Miyajima & Itsukushima Shrine excursion encounter the island's food culture as part of the experience — the waterfront oyster restaurants, the anago meshi shops and the momiji manju stalls are on the natural route between the ferry and Itsukushima Shrine.

Guests with independent time in the city after an excursion will find the Hondori covered arcade and Nagarekawa areas have the highest concentration of okonomiyaki restaurants and tsukemen shops, if you still have room to try some more local delicacies.

Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki suits a mid-morning or lunchtime stop in the city after a visit to the Peace Memorial, while Miyajima oysters and anago meshi are best eaten at that island’s waterfront during the excursion. Momiji manju bought fresh on Miyajima travel well back to the ship, but lemon ice cream (available at both locations) will obviously need to be enjoyed immediately.

Most food stalls and restaurants on Miyajima open by 10 a.m., while Hiroshima city’s okonomiyaki restaurants typically open from 11 a.m. As noted, there are family friendly options at most locations. 

Explore Hiroshima shore excursions aboard a Princess cruise to Japan and discover a culinary adventure to equal the beauty of this special location.