Hiroshima (prefecture)

It's sad but it's better to talk about it right away: it's impossible to think of Hiroshima without thinking of the atomic bombing of August 1945. Like its twin in the disaster, Nagasaki, the city takes its historical place. Its center houses a museum and a memorial for peace but also a building struck by the bomb: burned, partially collapsed, skeletal, but still standing.

However, Hiroshima is much more than a bombing site. It's a city right by the sea, dense, calm, and green, surrounded by wild paths. And of course, the food and drink there are excellent.

The origin of ginjo sake

Hiroshima is primarily known for its sake. For a long time, the water from its natural springs was considered too low in minerals to produce sakes capable of competing with the finest cuvées, those from Kyoto or Hyogo. (Brewers have been operating in the city since the 16th century, however.) But at the end of the 19th century, a master brewer named Miura Senzaburo discovered that this so-called too-soft water produced magnificent sakes when used as a base for long, cold fermentations. A few years later, the cuvées from Hiroshima had become the most popular in Japan.

Today, the brewers of the city claim that the sakes of Miura Senzaburo were the very first ginjo in history. This fruity and floral style, extremely popular in Japan and around the world since the 1980s, indeed comes from a long, cold fermentation. We are willing to bet that the brewers from Kyoto and Hyogo are ready to contest this paternity.

Hiroshima has another strong competitor in the category of good things: Osaka. The two cities are known for their okonomiyaki, a type of cabbage and octopus pancake generously brushed with barbecue sauce and mayonnaise (the description doesn't sound great but it's excellent). But while Osaka mixes all the ingredients together, Hiroshima arranges them in successive layers sometimes topped with noodles. Obviously, each of these cities considers its variation to be the best. At Umai, we love both equally…