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All the places I visited in Japan I immediately asked myself – what should I eat? While sushi, ramen, and matcha-something are available everywhere in the country, there are a few dishes that are unique to certain areas, even cities. So when I arrived in Hiroshima, the question was – what to eat in Hiroshima?
While a quick Google search can help, I realized the best way to explore the food in Hiroshima was a food tour. As I had already done an amazing tour with Arigato Travel in Tokyo, so I was excited to partner with them again.
What actually is a food tour and why you should consider doing one in Hiroshima? Read one…
Table of contents:
What to eat in Hiroshima?
Oysters
I cannot tell you how much I love oysters and how excited I was to hear that Hiroshima is Japan’s largest producer of oysters. After being in for a rude awakening in Tokyo when I saw the oyster prices at Tsukuji market I was glad to realize that they were a lot less in Hiroshima.
You can get oysters any way you like: raw with ponzu dressing or soy, grilled, steamed, or deep-fried. The latter is perfect if you always wanted to try oysters but haven’t dared yet.
Momijimanju
Maple is the signature tree of Hiroshima so it doesn’t come as a surprise that their signature cookie is mapleleaf-shaped. The original Momijimanju has a sweet red bean paste filling, but today you can get it with many different flavors, even cheese.
Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is also often referred to as a pizza-pancake mix and is best known in Osaka. The Hiroshima version uses less batter and more cabbage (healthy pizza!) as well as yakisoba noodles and oysters, pork, or egg toppings.
It is fried on a big griddle and topped off with okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes, and green laver, a type of algae.
Anago
Surely you have heard of unagi (if only while watching Friends)?! Unagi is Japan’s famous freshwater eel and so very delicious. However, there is also its salt-water counterpart anago. Technically not a specialty of Hiroshima but rather of Miyajima Island, it is reason enough to take a trip. It only takes 10 minutes by ferry and you can try most of the local foods there including the delicious anago and rice dishes.
Read more:
A personal travel guide to Hiroshima
Why do a Hiroshima food tour?
- It’s pretty easy to figure out what to eat in Hiroshima with a quick online search but a food tour takes you deeper. You are not only shown what to eat but where along with some sightseeing and learning about the culture and history. Especially the latter is an integral part of any tour in Hiroshima, or at least it should be. Food is always cultural and doing a food tour is both dinner + a city tour in one.
- Food tours are great whether you consider yourself a foodie or just like to feed yourself. You won’t have to spend hours scouting probably outdated guidebooks or blogs (yes, some are still from 2019…) or scroll through countless of Instagram reels. You can simply trust an expert to bring you to some of the best places to eat in Hiroshima and be done with it. Food tours are always a curated experience and you have none of the work.
- In addition, they are great if you are still a bit timid. Especially when trying to navigate restaurants in Japan and you don’t speak the language some things can be daunting. How to order correctly, how to relay that you really really dislike celery, and how to say that you may not want to eat chicken hearts quite yet. Having an experienced local guide at your side will help you to navigate all these issues.
- A food tour is also a good option if you are generally a bit picky or not sure yet whether you like the local cuisine. While I think there isn’t anyone who doesn’t like Japanese who knows… a food tour usually includes a certain amount of dishes, and while you will never go hungry, sometimes you will share. Perfect if you just want to dip your toes/ chopsticks in before committing to a whole plate. You can always write down the restaurant and return once you find a favorite!
- And last but not least, I know so many travelers who are absolutely terrified of eating on their own. I get it, I do. However, many years of solo travel have taught me that you can teach yourself to be fine eating alone, if only because sometimes you have to.
A food tour is a great way to ease into it because due to its nature, you won’t have to eat alone. This means meeting new people, sharing food, and thus trying more (something I really miss when traveling and eating alone), and having someone to raise a sake cup with and say “kanpai”. I have met incredibly nice people during food tours, some even became friends. And even if not – how nice is it to share a meal with like-minded people in an exciting new city?!
Need more tips to eat on your own? Read all about dinner for one when traveling!
Hiroshima walking tour with Arigato Travel
Arigato offers two different Hiroshima tours. One is for sake lovers and the other is an evening food tour to show you the most famous food in Hiroshima. For those of you who love to drink rest assured there are plenty of glasses included too.
While most of their Hiroshima food tours follow a similar pattern, the exact route will also depend on the guide and the day as sometimes places are closed, seasonal dishes pop up, etc. A great bonus of a Hiroshima food tour – there is no waiting for a table ever! Considering how tiny many Japanese restaurants are, I loved the fact that the places on our tour were not only curated but everything was booked and organized in advance. I started to feel very VIP…
Our tour with our lovely guide Hiroko who is from Hiroshima started with a typical Hiroshima Momijimanju from the cutest vending machine in town. Then we moved on to some craft beers, deep-fried oysters, and yakitori. Let’s just say that even if you are usually not an oyster fan, these are a must-try in Hiroshima and the perfect beer snack as well!
From there we strolled through Hondōri, one of Hiroshima’s main arcades. These arcades are basically covered shopping streets for pedestrians. Obviously, I made everyone stop at the pet store to stare at cute puppies and kittens before we explored the local snack culture and shopped for foodie souvenirs.
Now this is something that came as a complete surprise but I loved it as we got to pick out our own snacks to take home (paid for by Hiroko). Honestly, I have never done a food tour when this was part of the itinerary but what a great idea it is! Snacks are such an integral part of a country’s cuisine and personally, I love searching for unique snacks.
In Hiroshima, I struck gold which I unfortunately only discovered when I got home (otherwise I would have bought more). So when you book your tour please ignore the salamander in jelly and get the matcha macadamias and freeze-dried strawberries with white chocolate instead. Or maybe a lemon cookie shaped like an oyster. Lemons are also big in Hiroshima!
After getting our snacks it was time for some sake tasting at a very cute liquor shop – deli hybrid. We got to try different sakes and had some delicious tapas-style nibbles – cabbage mousse anyone? It was so unexpected and so good!
From there we went to Okonomimura, home of Hiroshima’s infamous okonomiyaki. And if you think I am giving something away, think again because it is home to over 20 different okonomiyaki restaurants on various floors. I probably wouldn’t find my way back even if I tried but I trusted Hiroko that she picked the best for us.
As I mentioned above the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is slightly different from the Osaka one as it is more layered. At the restaurant we got to choose between different versions, with yakisoba or udon, extra seafood, and such. I went for the udon version because I believe udon is the most superior of all Japanese noodles and I like to add them where I can.
Let’s just say that while my okonomiyaki was delicious I definitely struggled at this point with the amount of food we got. The fun thing about eating okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is to watch the chef prepare it on the sizzlingiron griddle, the teppan, flip it, and finally put it right in front of you. You eat it straight from the teppan.
Needless to say, there is always room for dessert and for ours, we went to have taiyaki and penguin ice cream sandwiches. Afterward, we all rolled home or in my case into the next wine bar for a final nightcap.
How much is a food tour in Hiroshima?
Food tours in general are more pricey in Japan compared to places like Thailand and India, just like everything else. The price of Arigato’s Hiroshima tours is ¥24,300 which is approximately $160. Can you find cheaper? Sure but I definitely think you are getting your money’s worth and also this is a fixed price. Even when booking on your own this price doesn’t change and the tour happens when a minimum of two participants is reached. When booking via other activity platforms there is usually a huge price difference depending on certain dates and number of people, something I absolutely hate as a solo traveler.
The Hiroshima tour is about 4 hours longer and you have various food and snack stops. The detailed description of what is included in each tour can be found on their website. I promise – leaving hungry is not an option!
Arigato Japan Food Tours
To be honest, I was very overwhelmed when trying to decide who to do my food tours with. In some Japanese cities, the options seem endless while in others like Hiroshima, there are only a few. As I mentioned many other things, food tours in Japan are quite pricey and sometimes it is hard to know whether it will be worth it. This is not only reflected in the restaurants chosen and the meals eaten but most importantly your guide and the curation of the tour.
Arigato Travel is an expert in all things Japan and food and has shown international visitors the best of both worlds since 2016. Today they offer food tours in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and the Mt. Fuji region. Depending on the city, there are different tours on offer with a focus on visiting and eating your way through the local market, trying the best street food, learning all about sake or matcha, or a ‘best-of’ combination.
All tours include an expert guide who will also inform you about the history and culture of a given place as well as food etiquette in Japan. And of course, there are plenty of meals and drinks included.
The tours are small group tours with no more than 8 people. Alternatively, you can book a private tour as well, perfect if you are traveling with your family or a group of friends.
