Most people who visit Hiroshima end up doing the standard course — a tour of the Hiroshima Peace Park and a quick dash to Miyajima. These are interesting places to be sure, but they don’t really give you an impression of the Hiroshima of today. The solemnity of the A-bomb heritage and the sacred splendour of Miyama hardly represent how the people of Hiroshima actually live. We aim to restore a little balance with our Yokogawa Food Tour.
Yokogawa is part of Nishi Ward in Hiroshima city, just northwest of Hiroshima Castle. It’s a transportation hub connecting the city centre to the northern part of the prefecture and to the San’in region beyond. The area around the station is a maze of shopping streets, lined with traditional local shops and eateries. Yokogawa still retains the nostalgic atmosphere of the postwar Shōwa period, when the Japanese began rebuilding their country according to a more liberal ethos.
Yokogawa has an interesting history. Originally it was a manor probably belonging to a religious order on an island on the delta of the flood-prone Ōta River. When Hiroshima Castle was built to the southeast, its dikes were arranged so that Yokogawa became a flood plain. Consequently, its residents suffered serious flooding right up until the 1950s when the Ōta River was partially rerouted. Thanks to their frequent experience of disaster, the people of Yokogawa developed a tightknit community with a strong tendency towards self-help and solidarity. In the 20th century, this expressed itself in a boom in manufacturing, and in the 21st century, in a program of innovative community events, including a popular Zombie Night.
It’s this vibrant area that we’ve selected for our first food tour. Hiroshima reflects the culinary traditions of the Setouchi region, with a focus on fresh seafood and delicate flavours. Hiroshima is also one of Japan’s top regions for sake. One of Japan’s favourite foods, okonomiyaki, is well represented in Hiroshima, and indeed, the company responsible for developing today’s okonomiyaki sauce, Otafuku, got its start in Yokogawa. Hiroshima is a cosmopolitan city, with people from many countries calling it home and offering their cuisine for public consumption. All of this culinary culture is concentrated in Yokogawa, giving you the opportunity to enjoy an extensive selection in just one night.
On our Yokogawa Food Tour, you stroll through the arcades and alleyways, dropping into a bar here, and a restaurant there. After discovering your preferences, your guide will devise a tour that might include a sake bar, a craft beer brewery, yakitori, ramen, an okonomiyaki restaurant, perhaps including a soupçon of French flair, a Korean restaurant, or a sports izakaya. Along the way, you’ll see the signs of Yokogawa’s special heritage — where Otafuku originally made the celebrated sauce, Japan’s first public bus, and the local sports teams that bring daily drama to local people.
It takes a little courage to push open the door of an unknown establishment, sit down, and order from a largely incomprehensible menu. Your guide will handle this, taking all the anxiety out of it. Even without a guide, you couldn’t fail to feel the warm hospitality of the owners and staff, but it’s nice to understand the interesting things they have to say too.
Our Yokogawa Food Tour offers you a satisfying taste of daily Japanese food and drink, and a unique introduction to a friendly and fascinating corner of Hiroshima.
