Food and Culture in Hiroshima

I love food, and I love travel. If I can combine the two, you can consider me satisfied! So, that is exactly what I hope to do with this new series, where I travel to different regions to try out their signature dishes, and explore their sightseeing spots.

For my first trip, I decided to visit Hiroshima to enjoy their iconic Hiroshima okonomiyaki, a type of savory pancake with different fillings, including noodles.

The dish is one of the main foods the region is known for, but of course, its history as the atomic bomb site precedes its culinary reputation in many tourists' minds. While I did visit the Peace Memorial Park this time, I hope to also show you some of the cultural side of Hiroshima through its castle, parks, and one of its many museums.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome

Starting with its most famous point of interest, I took the bus from Hiroshima Station to the Peace Memorial Park. Although the museum itself is one of the most important museum visits I have made to date, that was not on my list this time. Instead, I was welcomed to the park with crisp morning sunshine, and set about for a walk around it.

My first stop in the park was the cenotaph with its view of the Flame of Peace and the Atomic Bomb Dome. I stood on the steps a little away from the cenotaph to get this shot of all three together.

The park was certainly peaceful on this sunny winter day, as there were not many people, so I was free to wander easily, stopping by the various monuments like the Peace Kannon Statue and the Children's Peace Monument with its golden origami crane, said to be entrusted with dreams of a peaceful future.

Just across the bridge from the park is the Atomic Bomb Dome itself, Hiroshima's most famous structure. The dome was originally created by a Czech architect in 1915, and was somewhat of a Hiroshima landmark in its time. In 1945 the atomic bomb hit from around 600 meters above the hall, but much of the center walls and iron frame remained. It was a divisive subject as to whether to keep the building, as it could either be seen as a painful memory or an important reminder for peace. It was eventually declared a World Heritage Site in 1996, and the park around it as a buffer zone.

I took some time to read the information about the dome, and walked slowly past it, peering in to the rubble and remains of the building. As a solo traveler, I was able to let things sink in a little before moving on at my own pace.

Hiroshima Castle

About a 15-minute walk through Motomachi and its underpass, I then made my way to the Hiroshima Castle grounds.

I was delighted to find that there was a small free exhibition section at the main gate (omotegomon), where I learnt a bit about the castle's traps and defenses, such as the small windows called "sama" which were used for firing guns and arrows.

On the way to the main castle keep, I also stopped by Gokoku Shrine, which is dedicated to those who died in different wars. One of its central motifs is the koi carp, so I couldn't resist picking out a little koi fortune (omikuji) for myself.

The main keep itself houses a fairly extensive museum (with paid entry) outlining its history, which began in the 1590s when the castle was first built, and then resurfaced when the castle was rebuilt in 1957. The first floor was mainly about the castle itself, the second floor about castle town life, while the third floor was about weapons and armor, and the fourth was a special exhibit only in Japanese. The fifth and final floor was an observation deck looking out in all directions.

I learnt that the castle is sometimes called the "Carp Castle" (Rijo) because of its placement near what was once called the Koi Sea Shore (Koi no ura). It was nice to learn that and understand the reason for the shrine's carp theme, too!

Lunch at Kaisugi Ramen

Although the culinary star of the show today is Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which we'll get to later, after all the walking and learning on this chilly day, I found myself craving something hearty.

I wandered a little bit around the nearby Hatchobori area and stumbled across a line of people waiting outside a small restaurant entrance. A line like that can only mean one thing - food.

I had a quick look at the menu outside and found that it was a ramen place, and spotted tsukemen (separate noodles and soup) among the options. I had heard that tsukemen with a spicy sauce was something of a Hiroshima specialty too, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tick it off my list.

At my turn I went inside and chose my item on the touch screen, then gave my ticket to the staff and sat down. A giant bowl of noodles and toppings with the separate spicy soup appeared before me, and I was so excited to dig in. While the soup was indeed spicy, having the option to dip my noodles in it made the spice more bearable and flavorful, and I was able to truly enjoy the firm noodles and savory toppings, complete with my favorite, a flavored ramen egg.

Shukkeien Garden

Refueled and warmed up by lunch, I made my way over to Shukkeien Garden. Located behind the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, I got myself a joint ticket for both, and entered the garden through the museum.

The garden has a large pond at its center, with fourteen miniature islands, some of which can be accessed by scenic bridges. The one that stands out the most is the central Kokokyo Bridge, a steeply curved stone bridge that offers a nice vantage point of the surrounding pond and garden.

I was slightly concerned about what the garden would look like mid-winter, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of greenery giving the garden a lively atmosphere that was lovely to stroll through.

The garden was built with the idea of recreating Japanese landscapes in miniature, with various mountains, valleys, and forests. My favorite was the Geiki-ho Peak, which is a miniature copy of Mt. Fuji, and offers a different view of the garden from above.

Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum

While the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum has four floors including its basement, the second floor, which houses its permanent collections, was unavailable during my visit, so I only visited the temporary exhibitions on the fourth and basement floors.

The basement floor had two different student artwork exhibitions going on; one was of university students, while the other was high school students. Both were impressive, with the university students' exhibit featuring sculptures and 3D pieces, and the high school students' featuring paintings and calligraphy artwork.

The fourth floor had a special exhibition, the 71st Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition. There were around 280 pieces on display, from glasswork and ceramics to dolls and kimono. The spotlight piece was a ceramic by Idogawa Yutaka featuring a delicate Chinese lantern plant design.

The museum itself was a very peaceful place to explore, with a few quiet seating areas overlooking the gardens as well as a small library and cafe. It was a nice place to have a moment of quiet by myself on my travels.

Edible Souvenirs at the Station

With a bit of time to spare before dinner, I thought this was a good time to have a wander and explore the souvenirs at Ekie, a shopping mall connected to the station. In Japan, souvenirs tend to mean an edible item unique to the region you visited, as opposed to keychains and knick-knacks. There were certainly plenty of edible items here!

There are lots of stalls selling Momiji Manju, a maple-leaf-shaped bun filled with bean paste, but as my trip was centered around okonomiyaki, I had a little hunt for anything related.

Around the middle of the shop floor, I found this small section dedicated to okonomiyaki items. They had okonomiyaki sets, frozen okonomiyaki, and even a quirky T-shirt that came folded up like an okonomiyaki!

Okonomiyaki at Micchan

Seeing all these okonomiyaki-themed items in the shops really had me ready to eat some, so I finally headed downstairs for what I had been waiting for: Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.

For the uninitiated, let me explain. An okonomiyaki is like a thick, savory pancake filled with shredded cabbage, topped with different fillings and covered in a savoury-sweet sauce. The Hiroshima version takes all of that, and adds a pile of noodles to the mix.

There is no shortage of places to get Hiroshima okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, but this time I decided to go to Micchan for its convenient location and because it's an easy place for solo travelers like myself.

I chose to sit at the counter so I could get a good view of the action. The chefs start by making what looks like a thin round crepe, which is then topped with cabbage and any other fillings. Then they flip it so the crepe is back on top. For the last step, they place all of that onto a bed of noodles, which can be soba or udon, and finally slather it in sauce. My mouth was watering watching all of this unfold before me.

As I was sitting at the counter, they served it to me right on the hotplate, and I was given a metal spatula to cut it and serve it onto my plate.

Of course it was delicious. The slightly sweet sauce complementing the hearty, savory flavors, the contrasting textures of soft pancake with chewy noodles, and the occasional burst of umami from the pork and seafood; everything combined to make a satisfying meal for one, and a satisfying end to my Hiroshima trip.