Hiroshima area Archives - Gazing and Grazing

Mitarai – Sitting Pretty on Japan’s Inland Sea

February 25th, 2016

A drive along the Seto Inland Sea from Takehara took us to the charming Edo era port town of Mitarai that sits on the tip of Osaki Shimo-jima island. Like Takehara, Mitarai has a well preserved historical district but its relatively small size means that it's easy to walk almost the length of the village along the waterfront. The drive out itself was scenic with the Akinada Islands linked by a series of bridges. The water, and mikan orange groves coupled with the quaint villages and...

Takehara – Scenic Launch Pad to Hiroshima’s Coastal Islands

February 21st, 2016

The coast surrounding the Seto Inland Sea near Hiroshima is one of the most scenic in Japan and Takehara, with its nicely preserved Edo-era historic center, is a well located base from which to explore the area. We were here at year-end spending a day exploring the town before taking a drive and ferry ride for a round trip visit to nearby islands. Takehara is probably best known these days for Nikka Whiskey, with the family still residing in town, as well as being the setting for a popular...

Il Traghetto – Good Hearty Italian in Takehara

February 21st, 2016

After a of day roaming around the nearby islands, I was looking forward to a good warm meal with decent wine and a place I could kick back and relax in Takehara. Il Traghetto certainly met our needs. This is rustic Italian food interpreted by Kaoru Shinzaki, a retired corporate man who loves cooking. Shinzaki-san uses fresh, local produce and seafood and my favorite dish was a delicious risotto full of shrimp that was as Japanese as it was Italian.

Shinzaki-san decided to retire in...

Takehara – Farmhouse Goodness

January 17th, 2016

Tired of hearing the negative stories about the town's diminishing fortunes, Nishino Farmhouse Restaurant opened in Takehara to showcase the homestyle cooking and fresh produce in the area. Like so many of Japan's rural towns, Takehara sits just on the fringe of a large metropolis (Hiroshima in this case) but slumbers, its contributions forgotten, and emblematic of the country's aging challenges. The area was previously renowned for its fantastic potatoes, which the restaurant's...