March itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Hiroshima Meal edition)
(Wednesday, March 23)
Table of contents
3. Hiroshima Gyoza Hiroshima Station ekie store
5. Micchan Sohonten Hatchobori Main Store
1. Soba restaurant “Tonbo”
While sightseeing in Miyajima, I had lunch at Soba restaurant “Tonbo”. At first, I was thinking of eating while walking after buying fried Momiji Manju (sweet bun) at Soba restaurant “Tonbo”. However, it took a long time to make the fried Momiji Manju, so I decided to eat soba at Tonbo as well.
I had fried Momiji Manju for the first time, but it was hot and delicious. By the way, the next day I bought raw Momiji Manju at Hiroshima Station and ate it at the hotel. In conclusion, I found that I like the traditional and ordinary Momiji Manju the most. However, I think that both the fried Momiji Manju and the raw Momiji Manju were good experiences.
At Soba restaurant “Tonbo”, I ordered “Conger eel tempura soba,” “Mini Anago-meshi,” and “Steamed oysters” in addition to the fried Momiji Manju.
“Conger eel tempura soba” was delicious, but it wasn’t so impressive. However, I was hungry after climbing Mt. Misen, so I ate it all at once.
“Anago-meshi” has been selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as a representative local dish of Hiroshima Prefecture for both “100 selections of local dishes” and “Our Regional Cuisines“. I really wanted to eat authentic “Anago-meshi”, so I regretted it later. The taste of “mini Anago-meshi” was very average. The next time I visit Hiroshima prefecture, I will definitely want to eat it at an “Anago-meshi” specialty store.
The steamed oysters were big and plump and very delicious. The steamed oysters were most delicious meal at Soba restaurant “Tonbo”. As I wrote in the BLOG on April 10, “Hiroshima oyster” was selected as the winter “PRIDE FISH” (season: January-March) in Hiroshima Prefecture by Japan Fisheries Co-operative. Hiroshima Prefecture has the highest production of oysters in Japan.
2. MIYAJIMA BREWERY
It was raining, so I finished sightseeing in Miyajima and drank “Mt. Misen Dragon IPA” at “MIYAJIMA BREWERY“. I like IPA beer. The IPA of “MIYAJIMA BREWERY” was also a very delicious beer. In addition to IPA, there are various types such as “HIROSHIMA RED ALE”, so I would like to try various things the next time I visit Miyajima.
“MIYAJIMA BREWERY” is the only brewery in Miyajima. “MIYAJIMA BREWERY” has a stand bar and brewery on the first floor and a restaurant on the third floor. The restaurant on the 3rd floor was closed at the time of my visit.
When I left “MIYAJIMA BREWERY” and headed for Miyajima Pier, I found a deer hiding behind the signboard of the restaurant. At first I thought it was a deer figurine because it didn’t move at all, but when I approached it, it was a living deer. Deer in Miyajima is wild, but it is quiet because it is used to humans.
3. Hiroshima Gyoza Hiroshima Station ekie store
I returned from Miyajima to Hiroshima Station and ate “Hiroshima Gyoza” at “Hiroshima Gyoza Hiroshima Station ekie store”. When I go on a trip, I think that I have to eat local and local dishes as much as possible.
“Hiroshima Gyoza” is Hiroshima dumplings made from Hiroshima prefecture’s green onions, “Mochi pork”, cabbage, and dumpling skins. According to the store, it is standard to eat Hiroshima dumplings with green onion sauce. Certainly, the green onions on the dumplings matched the dumplings and it was delicious.
“Hiroshima Gyoza Hiroshima Station ekie store” is a store specializing in Hiroshima dumplings, which was founded in 1947 and is directly managed by a dumpling skin manufacturer. You can also drink “MIYAJIMA BREWERY” beer at this shop.
4. Izakaya Shin
For dinner, I had an excellent dish at “Izakaya Shin”. I ordered “Sashimi platter”, “Potato and dried young sardines salad”, “Grilled soft milt of cod with kelp”, and “Conger eel tempura” at “Izakaya Shin”.
The “sashimi platter” contained conger eel, soft milt of cod, Spanish mackerel, mantis shrimp, tuna, and bonito. All were very delicious. Especially, the mantis shrimp and the Spanish mackerel were delicious.
“Potato and dried young sardines salad” was also a delicious salad.
“Grilled soft milt of cod with kelp” was a masterpiece that you can feel the stickiness different from the sashimi of milt. The taste of kelp was transferred to milt, and I enjoyed it with sake from Hiroshima.
“Conger eel tempura” was excellent with a crispy texture. I was able to eat conger eel tempura for both lunch and dinner. Conger eel tempura is my favorite. In particular, I like the style of eating conger eel tempura with salt instead of ten-tsuyu (thin dipping sauce for tempura). I ate conger eel tempura with salt on this day as well.
As mentioned earlier, “Anago-meshi” is a typical local dish of Hiroshima. In addition, “Anago Chikuwa” and “Anago Kamaboko” are also Hiroshima specialties. However, the catch of conger eels in Hiroshima prefecture is not in the top 10 by prefecture. In the old days, many conger eels were caught especially around Miyajima. However, it seems that the catch of conger eels has decreased due to changes in the environment and the decrease in the succession of fishermen. It is unfortunate.
The catches of conger eels were 1st in Nagasaki prefecture, 2nd in Shimane prefecture, and 3rd in Miyagi, Yamaguchi and Fukushima prefectures (2020).
5. Micchan Sohonten Hatchobori Main Store
I wasn’t completely satisfied with the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki I ate the day before, so I decided to eat Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki at Micchan, which was delicious on my last trip to Hiroshima.
The “Micchan” I visited this time is the “Micchan Sohonten Hatchobori Main Store”. I went to the store after 19:00, but there was already a line and I lined up for almost 30 minutes. As expected, the popularity of “Micchan” is amazing. “Micchan Sohonten Hatchobori Main Store” is the first store of “Micchan Sohonten”. It is also one of the 100 famous tabelog restaurants.
As I wrote in the BLOG on April 10, it is said that Isao Ise of “Micchan” and Zenjiro Nakamura of “Zensan” are the originators of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Mitsuo Ise, who was 19 years old, took the place of Isao Ise, who was sick, and changed the store name from “Mikasaya” to Mitsuo’s nickname “Micchan”. “Micchan” contributed greatly to the development of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, such as offering okonomiyaki with soba as the first menu at the store.
I ordered “Gansu-yaki” and “OKONOMI-YAKI Chinese Noodles” at “Micchan”.
“Gansu-yaki” is a deep-fried fish paste that originated in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City (Kusatsu) and Kure City. It is a kind of fish katsu. “Gansu” is the Hiroshima dialect of “Gozaimasu (polite language)”. It seems that it was named “Gansu-yaki” by the Kamaboko stores in Hiroshima City and Kure City with the hope that the product will grow better if you put good words on it.
“Gansu-yaki” is made with red pepper and is attached bread crumbs on the surface and fry it. I thought it was a food with a texture and taste similar to that of “Hamada no Akaten” in Shimane Prefecture. As shown in the picture below, “Hamada no Akaten” is red because it has food coloring added. Isn’t the difference between the two only in the apparent color? Both “Gansu-yaki” and “Hamada no Akaten” are very delicious when eaten with mayonnaise.
“OKONOMI-YAKI Chinese Noodles” of “Micchan” was the best. After all, it has a different impression from other okonomiyaki restaurants. The texture of the fluffy cabbage is also the best.
Mayonnaise is placed on the table at “Micchan”, so you can freely apply mayonnaise on the okonomiyaki. Generally, mayonnaise is used only in the Kansai region, and there is a tendency not to use it in Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. In fact, neither the “Denko Sekka” nor the “Henkutsuya” I ate the day before had mayonnaise. I prefer to use mayonnaise because I hope it tastes good.
I was very satisfied with the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki of “Micchan” and finished sightseeing in Hiroshima City and Miyajima. The next day, I headed to Takehara, Onomichi, and Fukuyama.
Note: The departure / arrival times, fares of transportation, admission fees, meal fees, etc. listed in the text are as of the time of writing the BLOG. Please check for yourself when you go on a trip as it may change in the future.