Okonomiyaki, oysters and the middle of the city

The day, in order

1. Late morning

   Okonomimura

   The building gathers dozens of okonomiyaki counters on several floors, each with its own griddle and its own regulars. Order at the counter you like the look of, sit where there is space, and watch the layering happen in front of you: batter, cabbage, pork, noodles, egg.

   Read the city guide →
2. Lunch

   How the pancake is built

   The Hiroshima version is assembled rather than mixed. A thin crepe goes down first, then a heap of cabbage, bean sprouts, pork and noodles, and the whole thing is turned once and finished with an egg pressed onto the griddle. The sauce is sweet, the noodles are the difference, and soba or udon is a choice you make when you order.

3. Afternoon

   Dry tantanmen and the arcades

   The city is said to have started the dry version of tantanmen: noodles served with a thick sesame and chilli mixture rather than in soup, on ordinary menus rather than in speciality shops. Order it, then walk the covered streets toward the station.

4. Evening

   Oysters, in season

   Hiroshima farms more oysters than anywhere else in the country, and they are at their best in the cold months: raw, grilled, fried, or in the small shed-like places that serve them by the plate. Outside winter the menus change, so treat this as a seasonal stop rather than a fixed one.

5. Night

   The river after dark Optional

   The city is built on a delta, and the rivers are lit at night, with the castle tower visible above the trees on the north bank. Walk one bank rather than a loop, and finish near the tram line.

Make it lighter

The okonomiyaki building and the covered streets around it, with the river walk left out. A short day that never leaves the centre.

The dome, the park and the castle that came back → Miyajima → Read the Hiroshima city guide →

A short detour for sake

The route's name points somewhere it has not yet taken you: east, out of the centre. Saijo, in the neighbouring city of Higashi-Hiroshima, is about forty minutes from Hiroshima Station on the Sanyo line, and the brewery district starts almost outside the station gate — a short street of old storehouses with white walls and tall brick chimneys, several of them working breweries that pour tastings at the counter. It is counted among the country's named brewing capitals, alongside Nada and Fushimi, and the town holds a sake festival each October that fills it far beyond comfort. In winter, the brewing season, the chimneys smoke and the air around the storehouses explains the rest. Give it a half-day of its own rather than an hour bolted onto this walk, and take the train back to the centre for dinner.

If the weather changes

This is the wet-day route: the arcades are covered and Okonomimura is indoors. Only the river walk needs a break in the weather.

Check before leaving

Check which floors of Okonomimura are open that day, since each counter sets its own hours, and check the oyster season if shellfish are the reason for the trip.