Eat

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.

Musashibō (武蔵坊)

Musashibo is a chain restaurant in Hiroshima City that sells “shiru-nashi tantanmen,” or Dandan noodles without soup. Originally a Chinese recipe, Dandan noodles became a hit in Japan, and countless restaurants toiled to perfect their own twist on the Sichuan classic. Hiroshima’s variant has amassed its fair share of fame with its lack of soup and abundance of piquant spices, and the Musashibo branches are never far from any shopping center downtown.

Moment of Joy

Customers order their noodles from a vending machine before giving the ticket to a store employee and sitting down. The vending machine not only lets customers order noodles, side dishes, and beer, but also allows diners to select the level of spiciness at no extra charge. Select one that you feel comfortable with, and you are guaranteed to keep coming back for more, as well as to continually challenge yourself with increasing levels of spice until eventually conquering the highest level: death.