Food tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima! 2023 gourmet map with recommended foods including oysters, sweets, and beer

*Please refrain from eating while walking in crowded areas. Please enjoy sightseeing and gourmet food while observing good manners.
*Prices include tax.

To get to Miyajima from Hiroshima Airport, first take a limousine bus to Hiroshima Station, which takes about 50 minutes. From there, it is convenient to take the JR Sanyo Main Line to Miyajima. From JR Hiroshima Station, it takes about 30 minutes to get to JR Miyajimaguchi Station.
If you want to travel on a budget, head to the Hiroshima Electric Railway Miyajimaguchi tram stop from any tram stop. It takes longer than the JR line, about 70 minutes from Hiroshima Station, but you'll pass by the Atomic Bomb Dome and the former Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium, and enjoy a leisurely view of the cityscape.

Once you arrive at Miyajimaguchi, board the ferry and head to Miyajima in about 10 minutes!

If you go straight from Miyajima Pier, with the large red torii gate to your right, you will come to Omotesando Shopping Arcade, a lively street lined with many stores. It has a roof, so you can enjoy shopping and eating even in the hot sun or rain.

When you arrive on the island, you'll notice that you've arrived in Miyajima because there are deer everywhere. However, please enjoy your food while walking around, but be careful not to get eaten by the deer!

Miyajima Food Walking Map

I definitely want to try it! "Salty" Hiroshima specialties

First, go on a food tour in search of the sweet and spicy taste of soy sauce, the aroma of the seashore, and the saltiness. Around the shopping street, there are plenty of "salty" Hiroshima specialties that have been ingeniously designed to be eaten with one hand and that pursue "a taste that can only be found here." The portions are just right so you can try a variety of dishes, so go on a gourmet food hopping tour.

[Oyster gourmet] Miyajima specialty "Petara Pottara Honpo" with irresistible fragrant and large oysters

As you leave Miyajima Pier and walk along the beach, you'll hear lively music and the smell of sweet and spicy soy sauce and the sea breeze. The delicious smell is actually "Petara Pottara" (390 yen). This Miyajima specialty has a cute-sounding name that leaves an impression.

Large oysters are placed on top of additive-free fried rice cakes made from glutinous and non-glutinous rice produced in Hiroshima. They are then coated with an original soy sauce sauce and grilled over charcoal. The fried rice cakes, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the plump oysters grown in the Seto Inland Sea go perfectly with the sweet and spicy secret sauce. There is also a version topped with conger eel, another Hiroshima specialty, so be sure to try both.

Everything from molding to shaping is done by hand, and the shop has many repeat customers thanks to its rhythmic movements and cheerful service. Look for the red curtain to visit.

Petarapotara Honpo

Enjoy the milk of the sea at Yakigaki Hayashi, the birthplace of grilled oysters

The Miyajima area of Hiroshima is one of the leading oyster producing areas in Japan, and there are many oyster specialty shops there. When walking through the Omotesando shopping arcade, you will see several stores where oysters are being grilled with great gusto.
Among them, Yakigaki no Hayashi is said to be the birthplace of grilled oysters, as the founder, Iwao Hayashi, was the first in the country to serve grilled oysters in their shells. Currently, the third-generation owner, Daisuke Hayashi, is passing on the deliciousness of grilled oysters.

At Hayashi, they are particular about cooking fresh oysters, and only start cooking after an order is placed. They cook one side, then when it's ready, flip it over and cook the other side. The cooks are quick and easy, but it takes years of experience to cook the large oysters evenly all over and gently steam them inside the shell.

The oysters used are the highest quality 3-year-old Jigozen oysters, which are grown in the Seto Inland Sea where they are rich in nutrients. These oysters are grown slowly and painstakingly until they are large, so they are full of flavor and everyone will agree they are delicious! Fill your mouth with the freshly grilled oysters, filled with the aroma of the seashore, and the overflowing juice.

This "yakigaki" (1,300 yen for 3 pieces) is not available for takeout, but is served seated inside the store. There are 86 seats inside the store, so even if there is a line, you won't have to wait too long to get in.

The store also has a wide selection of original products such as "oyster rice" and "oysters pickled in oil," making it a great place to buy souvenirs.

Grilled oysters

Take-out menu from a long-established inn: "Conger eel and oysters, Mametanuki"

Kinsuikan is a long-established inn founded in 1902. It is renowned for its exquisite cuisine, which is a feast for the senses, centered around Miyajima Shioyu Onsen, a natural hot spring that contains seawater from Miyajima, and locally produced ingredients.

The restaurant "Anago to Kaki Mametanuki" located at the entrance on the shopping street side of this inn is popular for its set menu dishes using beef and seafood from Hiroshima Prefecture. The signature dish, anago (conger eel) dish, a Miyajima specialty, is now available for easy takeout.

This is the "Anagomeshi Kushi" (500 yen), which is rice cooked with sauce, mixed with chopped grilled conger eel, and shaped into a rod shape. It is lightly battered and deep-fried once, and when an order is placed, it is quickly deep-fried a second time. It is a piping hot skewered fried food covered in a sweet and spicy homemade sauce.

The chewy rice with a generous amount of conger eel and about one bowl's worth of rice is extremely satisfying! The aroma of the conger eel is irresistible. You can also add some Japanese pepper to change the flavor to your liking.

Conger eel and oysters Mametanuki

Katsuya Bakery: A collaboration between old-fashioned bread and Hiroshima's specialty gansu

Katsuya Kashiho has been manufacturing and selling Hiroshima's famous confectionery, Momiji Manju, since the Taisho era. The founder fell ill and there was no successor, so the shop closed down about 30 years ago, much to everyone's regret.

The founder's grandson, Hideki Hayakawa, wanted to preserve the store's bean paste while his grandfather was still in good health, so he came up with the idea of recreating the bean paste recipe and selling it spread on buns.
And so, in 2018, Katsuya Kashipanpo, a bun specialty store, opened in a corner of the Omotesando shopping arcade where the store previously stood.

The homemade roll bread, which is left to ferment for a long time, is characterized by its fluffy texture and good taste. There are about 30 kinds of menus, and people line up especially at lunchtime because "it's fun to choose which one to order."

From the diverse lineup ranging from sweet to savory, we would like to introduce "Umaide Gansu" (560 yen). "Gansu" is a Hiroshima specialty, a fish paste made by coating fish meat in breadcrumbs and deep frying it. This shop uses spicy gansu from Miyake Suisan, which has its main store in Kure City, and sandwiches it with cabbage, mayonnaise, and yuzu pepper. The umami and spicy flavor of the gansu spreads the more you chew it, and the mellowness of the mayonnaise matches well, making it easy to eat like a savory bread.

Be sure to try this new gourmet treat, created by this long-established momiji manju shop by sandwiching together local specialties.

Katsuya Bakery

A new fried style and palm-sized "Okonomiyaki Matochan"

"Okonomiyaki Matochan" is located on the path on the way to Miyajima Aquarium, past Itsukushima Shrine and through Omotesando Shopping Street. There are many okonomiyaki restaurants on the island, but here you can eat a new style of okonomiyaki.

That dish is the palm-sized okonomiyaki "ageoko." It is a specialty that was created based on the mini-sized Kansai-style okonomiyaki that the owner's mother used to make, and the okonomiyaki is deep-fried after an order is placed.

The menu offers four types of sushi: "Soba Tama," "Cheese Tama," "Squid Tama" (300 yen each), and "Oyster Tama" (400 yen).
Even though it's a little far away, it's crowded with people who make the effort to visit, saying things like, "It's filling," "Even though it's okonomiyaki, you can eat it with one hand," and "Unlike regular okonomiyaki, it's made quickly so there's little waiting time."

The owner's recommended "Sobatama" is made by placing boiled noodles on a batter made from dashi stock made from kelp and dried small sardines, mixed with mountain yam, and then grilling it Kansai-style before it is ready to go. When an order is placed, it is deep-fried for one minute, topped with Otafuku sauce and green laver, and then it is ready to go. Deep-frying makes the outside crispy and the inside soft. The aroma of the sauce whets the appetite, and even those who have been trying out different dishes say, "I can eat this size."

If you mention "I saw this on OnTrip JAL" at the store, you will receive a 50 yen discount on your Ageoko! Please try this new and innovative okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki Matochan

Original "sweets" galore

"Sweets" are loved by people of all ages and genders, and are an essential part of any food tour. We will introduce you to "Neo Momiji", a deep-fried or croissant-style version of the "Momiji Manju", a Miyajima staple, and other photogenic sweets that embody the image of Miyajima.

Now a classic Miyajima sweets shop: "Momijidou Main Store"

At Momijido Main Store, located in the middle of the Omotesando shopping arcade, many customers are seen holding Fried Momiji® (200 yen), a momiji bun on a skewer.

At the front of the store, the momiji manju buns are deep-fried in oil and taken out one after another. They are all freshly made, with no pre-prepared items, and the fried momiji buns handed out one after the other are piping hot, steaming.

The dough of Momijido's momiji manju is light, and by frying it, the outside is crispy and the inside is fluffy.

The classic smooth bean paste is crisp on the outside, but the inside has the soft texture of the momiji manju and the smooth texture of the bean paste. There are also 8 other types, including salty cheese, so we recommend trying them all.

In fact, fried momiji was originally conceived as a way to make delicious food out of the misshapen pieces that were produced during the production of momiji manju. This excellent dish, which also helps reduce food waste, has now become an indispensable "quick bite" gourmet dish in Miyajima.

Koyodo Main Store

The cute maple leaf shape! A lineup that will make you dizzy: "Toriiya"

In the middle of the Omotesando shopping arcade, there is a showcase at the entrance of "Toriiya," a souvenir shop and momiji manju maker and seller. What catches the eye of many is the golden, shiny "momiji croissant" (250 yen) with six different flavors.

The croissant dough is filled with bean paste and cream, pressed into the shape of a maple leaf, and thoroughly baked. The layered croissant dough has a light and crispy texture. The sound of eating it is pleasant and the taste is addictive.

The popular chocolate flavor has a rich butter aroma and a slight saltiness that brings out the sweetness of the chocolate.

All flavors are available when they first open at around 10am, but once the baked goods for the day are sold out, they're gone, so if there's a flavor you like, be sure to get there early.

Torii-ya

Local topping arrangements at "Miyajima Umaimonokan"

Miyajima Umaimonokan is located just a one-minute walk from Miyajima Pier. The soft serve ice cream that can be ordered at the store is popular for its rich flavor, as well as for being "cute" and "photogenic."

The soft serve ice cream comes in three flavors: vanilla, Uji matcha, and mix. There is also a "Soft serve ice cream with cookies" (500 yen) decorated with icing cookies of red torii gates, deer, autumn leaves, and Hiroshima's specialty lemons, which can only be found here on the island.

The icing cookies are handmade one by one by our pastry chefs. You'll have to wait until you order to find out what designs they have. You might even come across a rare seasonal cookie.
Be sure to stop by for the first sweet treat when you step ashore, or while you wait for the return ferry.

Miyajima Delicious Food Museum

Itsuki Coffee: Enjoy a bittersweet moment in a stylish cafe atmosphere

Itsuki Coffee sells home-roasted coffee beans. It is a cafe located near Itsukushima Shrine and is marked by a white tent.
Using a large roasting machine, they maximize the quality of the beans and produce flavorful coffee beans. They are particular about only selling specialty coffee, using high-quality beans that make up only about 5% of the market.

The overwhelmingly most popular item regardless of the season is the "Specialty Coffee Soft Serve" (450 yen).

The soft serve ice cream is coffee-colored and is an original Itogi Coffee drink made by mixing vanilla and espresso coffee. The surface is decorated with coffee powder, and the rich aroma of coffee fills your mouth.

The cream has a smooth texture and a rich, sweet vanilla flavor, accented with a hint of bitter espresso. It's just as you'd expect from a soft serve ice cream from a coffee shop that roasts its own beans! It's no wonder it's the most popular.

Itsuki Coffee

Local drinks recommended for strolling or a quick drink

If you're going on a food tour, don't forget to bring a drink. If you're going to try a variety of different foods, why not try a local drink? Quench your thirst with a drink that's full of Hiroshima flavor.

GEBURA: A relaxing space perfect for taking a break or refreshing your palate

GEBURA, located in the Omotesando shopping arcade, is an impressive shop that combines an old-style house with a modern cafe. In a stylish, exposed concrete space, you can leisurely enjoy a homemade drink. The renovated old-style house combines the good old parts of Miyajima with the new, creating a relaxing atmosphere.

The standard menu item "Hiroshima Lemon Soda" (500 yen) is made with whole Hiroshima lemons grown without pesticides. Thinly sliced Hiroshima lemons are soaked in syrup, seeds and skin included. It's not too sweet, so enjoy the refreshing lemon aftertaste.

If you feel like "I want to drink one more cup" or "I want to try a different drink," you can take your empty cup to the counter and get a refill for just 200 yen (available only on the day). This is also the owner's wish for you to enjoy your trip to Miyajima. Please quench your thirst and your heart and enjoy Miyajima.

GEBURA

MIYAJIMA BREWERY: A carefully crafted beer brewed with natural water from Mt. Misen

A 7-minute walk from Miyajima Pier takes you to the island's only brewery, "MIYAJIMA BREWERY." At the beer stand, you can drink freshly brewed beer. The brewery strives to create a craft beer with a mild flavor, with the theme of "a flavor that even first-time craft beer drinkers will find easy to drink."

They use underground water from the primeval forests of Mt. Misen in Miyajima, which is rich in the mineral silica, as their brewing water, and brew three standard varieties - Miyajima Weizen, Hiroshima Red Ale, and Misen DRAGON IPA - as well as two semi-standard and two seasonal varieties.

Among them, "Misen DRAGON IPA" (Medium 700 yen) is characterized by its gorgeous aroma, which is made using three types of aroma hops. You can enjoy the bitterness of grapefruit and the refreshing citrus aroma. In addition to being sold by the cup (Small 450 yen, Medium 700 yen, Large 850 yen), they also sell growlers by weight and bottled beer, so it's also recommended as a souvenir.

MIYAJIMA BREWERY

Miyajima is full of intriguing gourmet foods, from Hiroshima-style flavors like oysters and okonomiyaki to photogenic sweets. Enjoy eating your way around the island while touring Miyajima and experience the charms of Hiroshima.

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