Hiroshima Okonomiyaki

Hiroshima Okonomiyaki or Japanese pizza is a crepe-like dish containing meat, seafood, cabbage, and so on. It’s so loved by Hiroshima people that there are more than 2000 Okonomiyaki restaurants in the prefecture. The savoury pancake food is seen as fast food. It’s fascinating to see it being made in front of your eyes. We ate at Okonomimura a food theme park of multiple levels with lots of Okonomiyaki restaurants side by side. The origin of this theme park was a group of street stands which used to open at the central square of the city around 1950, soon after World War 2. It’s now become a sightseeing spot of Hiroshima where local people and even foreign tourists flock.

Okonomimura Address: 5-13 Shintenchi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
URL: http://www.okonomimura.jp/foreign/english.html

The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “how you like” or “what you like”, and yaki meaning “grill.” It is mainly associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. With toppings and batters tending to vary according to region. In Tokyo, there is liquid okonomiyaki called ‘monjayaki.’

Cooked right in front of your Eyes

Here you can see the steps involved in the cooking process.