7 Must-Try Local Cuisine from Japan’s Chugoku Region

Ebimeshi is one buzz-worthy local dish, especially around the city of Okayama, featuring fried rice that’s cooked up with tasty shrimp. It gets its iconic black look from the seasoning, which includes a luxe blend of caramel sauce, demi-glace sauce and ketchup all folded in together. The final profile is a familiar, blend of spicy and sweet that’s lighter than its appearance may let on.

Okonomiyaki is often called a soul food by the people of Hiroshima. It’s made by pouring a thin layer of water and flour-based batter over a flattop before adding　generous amounts of cabbage, pork and noodles that steam and meld together over the griddle. The final step is to crack a thinly cooked egg on top and flip it over. For toppings, you can expect a generously brushed layer of special Okonomiyaki sauce to serve. One of the many perks of this hands-on dish is watching it all unfold right before your eyes.

Kawara Soba is one local dish that hails from the city of Shimonoseki. It’s made by laying cha-soba (green tea soba noodles) on a piping hot roof tile before topping with sweetly cooked beef and kinshi tamago (thinly sliced egg omelette). The tile below naturally retains heat, ensuring that each bite stays deliciously hot for even longer. From the top down you’ll find tasty, chewy cha-soba, before hitting that delicious, crispy crust that cooked against the surface.

Moji Port Curry is a popular local dish around Moji Port, an area known for its retro streetscape. Each bowl is made as a “baked curry”, by topping rice with curry roux, cheese and a cracked egg that all head over together to the oven to bake. Once browned and done the curry plumes with mouthwatering aroma and even deeper, tasty goodness as the extra liquid bakes off. The melty cheese and egg swirled on top just elevate it to art.

Izumo Soba weighs in as one of the three top sobas in Japan. There are two ways to enjoy it: "Wariko Soba", served in stackable round containers called "Wariko", and the warm "Kamaage Soba". The soba grains are ground with their husks still on, which gives it an especially dark color and rich flavor you can’t miss.

Anago-meshi is a local dish that you’ll find mostly in Miyajima along the Seto Inland Sea, as well as in parts of Hiroshima. The eel is broiled in a sweet and spicy sauce, thinly sliced, and then layered over rice to serve. The originally recipe was developed as a railway boxed lunch, offering up all the harmonious glory of savory, tender eel over rice.

Snow Crab is one local delight that’s caught all across the shores of the Sea of Japan. Around Tottori Prefecture specifically, mature male snow crabs are nicknamed “Matsuba” crabs, drawing droves of tourists in the prime fishing season of mid-November to March. Whether raw, boiled or grilled, this winter delicacy is truly the king of tastes.