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Hiroshima Specialties

Get a deeper look at Hiroshima's specialties. Cut into okonomiyaki, Hiroshima's "soul food," at foundational places like Okonomimura. Watch the steam float off fresh fried momiji-manju in Miyajima. Explore the bounty of the Seto Inland Sea at places like Oyster Ship Kanawa and Anago Meishi Ueno. These are some of the foods that the rest of Japan thinks of when they think of Hiroshima, a regional cuisine tied to the seasons, the region's ecological diversity, and the post-war dishes that helped rebuild the city. Our Hiroshima specialties guide zeros in on what makes Hiroshima cuisine distinctive in Japan.

Kunimatsu (くにまつ)

Kunimatsu is a restaurant specializing in Soupless Dandan noodles, which are becoming a new specialty in Hiroshima. “Soupless Dandan noodles” have a ratio of soup to noodles that is about 1:3. “Soupless” is a mistranslation that has become mainstream in Hiroshima. It means there is no broth in the noodle soup. It is a unique style of Chinese cuisine where the broth and noodles are served separately. The noodles are dipped in the broth before eating. The spicy-yet-umami soup is very popular. The dish’s spiciness can be customized from zero to 1X, 2X, 3X, and 4X, along with the even spicier “KUNIMAX” (extremely hot) and “Death Max” (super hot).

Moment of Joy

The charm of Kunimatsu is that you can choose the spiciness of the soup and the toppings to suit your own taste. If it is too spicy, you can add toppings such as onsen tamago (Hot Spring Eggs) to mellow the flavor. The secret to the spiciness of Kunimatsu’s soup is the use of Chinese spices, such as Sichuan and Sansho pepper. The spices are blended in a perfect balance to give the soup a distinct spicy aftertaste.