Miyajima

When Sarah and I visited Hiroshima, we made a day trip to Miyajima, a small island located a short ferry ride from the city. Miyajima is considered one of the country’s most scenic islands, and naturally it is a huge attraction in Japan with thousands of tourists from around the world visiting yearly. Miyajima is best known for its massive red tori gate, built just off the island which gives it the appearance of floating on water during high tide. According to what I’ve read, the temples and shrines were built in similar fashion to avoid offending the Gods since the land on Miyajima was considered that sacred.

While the times have changed and it is no longer forbidden to tread ashore, there’s really not much on the island besides the few temples and shrines located on the coast. The majority of the action is concentrated in and around a few main streets close to the ferry dock where small shops and restaurants are located.

Being an island completely surrounded by water with access to some of the best fish and crustacean available, Japan naturally is a seafood-consuming nation. While it’s fair to say that a love for seafood is universal throughout Japan, each area specializes in different items. Miyajima happens to be famous for oysters.

There were quite a few restaurants to choose from and they all looked more or less the same, but Sarah had visited Miyajima before on a school trip and wanted to return to the place she had eaten at years ago. After some searching, we finally found it (or so we think).


We were hungry so in addition to the oysters, we ordered a bowl of cold soba noodles that came with some soy sauce, seaweed, wasabi, scallions, and a raw egg. Originally when placing the order, I thought the egg would be semi-cooked but I should known better - the Japanese love their stuff raw! We ended up mixing all the ingredients together, and it turned out so-so. I think I would have preferred it warm, and I really could have done without the egg.

So on to the good stuff – the oysters. We ordered two different preparations – raw and grilled. I’ll admit that I haven’t eaten a lot of raw oysters in my lifetime, but these in Miyajima were about as fresh and good as any I’ve had previously. They were salty, briny, just delicious. Some grated radish, scallion, and a soy-based sauce also accompanied the dish, which you could add as you so pleased.

My favorite of the two, however, was the grilled oysters. They weren’t actually grilled but more so placed on top a charcoal grill and steamed open from the heat. These were fantastic. They had a firmer bite, and because they were steamed in shell, all the wonderful natural juice – what many people refer to as the oyster liquor – was retained.

Overall, I really enjoyed the meal, though I could have passed on the soba. However, I didn’t mind too much because I didn’t come for the soba – I came for the oysters, and they were everything they were billed to be. It was a great example of how superior ingredients don’t need elaborate preparations or loads of seasoning. They are great on their own, enjoyed best simply.