Try Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki at Okonomi-mura

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake, stacked full of ingredients such as meat, fish and vegetables. At Okonomi-mura in Hiroshima you can try Okonomiyaki from dozens of small restaurants.

Authored by James, 12th January 2019

While in Hiroshima, a must-see destination is Okonomi-mura. Located in the centre of the city, Okonomi-mura is a whole building of small independent okonomiyaki restaurants. It's a fun place to walk around, and a great experience to dine there.

In downtown Hiroshima, in the Shintenchi district, is the "temple of the original okonomiyaki", Okonomi-mura. This 3-story building is a theme park of okonomiyaki restaurants. This is a perfect place to grab some great value, quick and tasty - and very Japanese - food on an evening out in Hiroshima. Even if you're planning to eat elsewhere, it's worth popping into Okonomi-mura and exploring the various floors just to experience the atmosphere with all the sights and smells.

Okonomoyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake made from pancake batter and with lots of other ingredients - usually shredded cabbage and pork, and often with other optional ingredients like squid, prawns, shellfish, green onion and cheese.

It's cooked on a hotplate - sometimes by a chef, and in some restaurants you can cook your own on a hotplate set into your own table.

In Hiroshima, its customary for the okonomiyaki to be layered up with a thin pancake on top and bottom, with layers of noodles, veg and meat in between.

The pancake is served with okonomoyaki sauce, a tangy brown sauce a bit like HP or other brown sauces in the UK.

Photograph of Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, made with cabbage, noodles, scallops and lots of other things!

Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, made with cabbage, noodles, scallops and lots of other things!

I have to admit - okonomiyaki is not my favourite of all Japanese foods. It's heavy and rich and kind of a bit weird (and I like weird!). But it is an experience watching it being cooked in front of you, and it's a fun dish to share between a few people, especially when you cook it yourself.

The style of okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is also quite different to other areas of Japan. I really like the style from Osaka, where the pancake batter and all the ingredients are mixed together in a jug, and poured out onto the hotplate.

It's definitely something to try, you'll have fun sharing an okonomiyaki and a few beers. You just might not want to have another one for a while...

Photograph of A cold beer is the best accompaniment to okonomiyaki

A cold beer is the best accompaniment to okonomiyaki

How to get to Okonomi-mura in Hiroshima

Okonomi-mura is right in the centre of Hiroshima, in the Shintenchi district and close to the main shopping areas and big department stores like PARCO. Here's a quick link to a Google map.

The closest dentetsu (tram) stop is Hatchobori or Tatemachi which are on the main line west-east through central Hiroshima on lines 1, 2 and 6. However Hiroshima isn't such a big city and Okonomi-mura is a 15 minute walk from the peace park or atomic bomb dome, and the same distance from Hiroshima station.

An english version of the Okonomi-mura website is available for more information.