Oyster Road with its eateries where you can easily nosh on fresh oysters
Hiroshima Oyster Road is the collective term for a row of eateries within an area along the Seto Inland Sea where you can sample oysters. It started in 2010 with 5 restaurants and as of 2015, the road has grown to 10 establishments. There are restaurants which are directly operated by oyster manufacturers and places which use the rooftops of department stores as more than 300,000 visitors come annually to this popular enterprise. Oyster Road is only open on a seasonal basis but there are 2 types of establishment: oyster huts where you can sample the fare easily and restaurants that are open all throughout the year.
Hiroshima oysters which are tops in the nation for production capacity
The breeding of oysters in Hiroshima began from the Muromachi Era more than 400 years ago, and at the end of the Tokugawa Era, oyster boats in Osaka where oysters were prepared and eaten became all the rage. The mollusk in general has been a food with a fine balance of protein, vitamins and minerals. But especially with the oysters in Hiroshima, they are blessed by the rich nutrients flowing from the Chugoku Mountains into the Seto Inland Sea, with the plankton that the oysters feed upon being of high quality. Also due to moderate wave and tidal activity in the region, the oysters are provided with the ideal environment to breed. Lastly, thanks to the great efforts by manufacturers, production capacity is No. 1 in Japan.
No matter what, the reasonable prices are the attraction
Since oyster season lasts from November to around May, the oyster huts are open only annually between mid-October and late May. Fresh and unshucked oysters can be eaten from 1000 – 1500 yen per kilogram. And there are various ways to enjoy them such as grilling over charcoal and steaming them in 30cm square cans with water in a style known as “gangan mushi”. Because fresh oysters can be enjoyed at these reasonable prices, Oyster Road is also popular with local residents.