Food and Sake of Hiroshima

Hiroshima Prefecture is nurtured by the rich nature of the Seto Inland Sea and the Chugoku Mountains, and is a treasure house of diverse, high-quality agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.
Blessed with seafood from the sea and the mountains, delicious foods can be enjoyed all year round.
Among them are lemons and oysters, which boast the largest production in Japan, as well as Japanese beef with a long history, a wide variety of fish from the Seto Inland Sea, and high-quality timber.
The products of producers who have made various efforts to improve the production methods, quality, and freshness of these agricultural, forestry, and marine products are registered as "Cheer Hiroshima Products" to expand sales channels and promote their attractiveness.

 

• Click here for details（External website）

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural products
(MIDORI sustainable Food System Strategy Division, Minister's Secretariat,
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Agricultural Technology Division,Hiroshima Prefectural Bureau of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

Based on the “Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems, MIDORI," Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is promoting "visualization" to inform consumers of efforts to reduce environmental impacts at production sites and realize a society that supports the entire food system.
On the occasion of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, agricultural products produced in Hiroshima Prefecture that "visualize" efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be displayed to introduce these efforts.
Specifically, GHG emissions at the production stage will be evaluated estimated using cultivation information of the producer, and the percentage of GHG emissions reduction achieved by the producer's cultivation compared to conventional cultivation in the region will be evaluated and displayed to consumers in an easy-to-understand manner.
Currently, a total of 23 products, including rice, tomatoes, and cucumbers, are covered by the program.

 

• Click here for details（External website）

“Hikari” A decorative confection
​(Shungetsu Kagura)

This item is part of a work that received the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Minister’s Award at the National Confectionary Exposition in Hiroshima in 2013. A decorative confection for use as an award, the work was created using Japanese confections such as red bean paste, sugar and rice flour.
The creation of these decorative confections are said to have begun in Kyoto in the 17th and 18th centuries, as an object to be admired among members of the upper classes. Artisans were tasked with deploying their skills to produce them.
Many of these works were designed to be photogenic, in motifs with natural shapes, principally mountains, bodies of water, flowers, birds and the like. Today they are widely recognized as works of art that express the subtle technique and creativity of the Japanese-confection artisans who made them. A number of decorative-confection contests are held in Japan every year.

 

• Click here for details（External website）

Sake Brewing in Hiroshima, One of Japan’s Three Great Brewing Regions
(Hiroshima Sake and Shochu Makers Association)

Hiroshima’s toji (master brewers) exercise their skills in brewing regions throughout Japan, playing a leading role in spreading Hiroshima sake to every part of the country. Toji breathe life into rice and water to cultivate Hiroshima sake, vying with each other to produce new saké of high quality to meet the needs of each era.
To produce sake of great flavor and aroma, the rice must be grown in a suitable place. The ideal location is a moderately mountainous region with an altitude of between 200 and 400 meters, with great variations in temperature throughout the day. Four areas in Hiroshima meet these climatic criteria: Higashihiroshima city, Miyoshi city, Akitakata city and Shobara city. Toji use the “ideal brewing rice” from these regions to brew sake.
Another critical factor in brewing delicious Hiroshima sake is the clear, pure water that seeps out of the granite rocks of the Chugoku Range. Toji of each region use this water in their “soft-water brewing process.”

 

• Click here for details（External website）

History of Sake in Hiroshima
(Hiroshima Sake and Shochu Makers Association)

At one time, the soft water of Hiroshima’s streams was considered ill-suited for sake brewing. That changed when MIURA Senzaburo invented his soft-water brewing process. The “Hiroshima sake” that resulted from this mellow brewing procedure was gentle in texture, full-bodied and rich in flavor.
Meanwhile, by trial and error, SATAKE Riichi, founder of Satake Corporation, had invented a motorized rice polisher. The availability of high-quality rice polishing for the first time contributed greatly to the development of the first ginjo sake, high-quality sake brewed by low temperature fermentation from white rice milled to 60%.
Thanks to these many efforts to create a sake brewing process unique to Hiroshima, Hiroshima sake crushed the competition at the first All-Japan Sake Fair in 1907, sponsored by the Brewing Society of Japan. Hiroshima’s place in the sake-brewing world was instantly elevated, and since that time Hiroshima brewers have continued to advance, earning high praise and making a strong showing in sake competitions.

 

• Click here for details（External website）

 

Tasting corner

提供商品はこちら

Offering　Product (PDF)(532KB)

SUNKEN GARDEN

OKONOMIYAKI
Vegetarian OKONOMIYAKI

　

Seto no mochibuta SETOHIME

　

Griled oysters

　

Hiroshima Wagyu beef

　

Presentation corner

The charm of fish in the Seto Inland Sea

　

Delicious fish representative of the Setouchi area will be on display and served as nigirizushi, a traditional Japanese dish.
In addition, a demonstration of the traditional technique of preparing fish such as sea bream will be given to show the attractiveness of Setouchi's fish.​

Demonstration of nerikiri (decoration of small Japanese cakes of white bean jam) and Japanese-tea tasting

　

Nerikiri, an Intangible Cultural Property, is demonstrated on five themes: spring, summer, fall, winter and Hiroshima. To showcase nerikiri to the world, tasting is offered. Matcha, a staple of tea ceremony among samurai families, is served to express the history of Japanese tea culture.

The Attraction of Hiba Gyu that Supported Tatara Iron Marking

　

In the Chugoku Mountains, "Tatara Iron Marking" flourished until modern times, and strong cattle were used to transport the wood for fuel, which has been passed down to the modern Hiba Gyu.
Hiba Gyu contains many of the same ingredients as olive oil and has a good balance of lean meat and fat, giving it a rich flavor with a clean aftertaste.

Cheers with Hiroshima’s sake, wine, and local beer

　

Hiroshima Prefecture faces the sea to the south and mountains to the north. Due to the large difference in temperature between warm regions and heavy snowfall regions such as snowy regions, Hiroshima's sake can be enjoyed in a wide range of flavors, from sweet to dry, light to rich.

Intoroduction of “Hiroshima Lemon” and new citrus “Mizuki”

　

‘Hiroshima lemon’are the largest producer of lemons in Japan, safe and secure fruit with no spoilage inhibitors and no wax production. ‘Mizuki’ is new seedless citrus cultivar produced by Hiroshima Pref. with Kyoto Univ.

Hiroshima oysters boast the largest production in Japan

　

Hiroshima Prefecture boasts the largest production of oysters in Japan, and although their shells are small, their meat is large for their shells and has a rich flavor. By having visitors taste these oysters, we hope to convey the appeal of Hiroshima oysters.