Fukuromachi

Fukuromachi is a central district of Hiroshima lying just south of the Hondori arcade, a compact quarter that has become one of the city's best areas for eating and drinking. Where Hondori and the department-store districts handle the daytime shopping, Fukuromachi comes into its own in the evening, its backstreets thick with restaurants, izakaya, bars and small eateries that draw locals and visitors alike after dark. For anyone wanting to eat well in central Hiroshima, it is a rewarding place to wander.

The district's name means 'bag town', and its network of narrow streets and lanes, tucked between the main downtown avenues and the entertainment district of Nagarekawa to the east, gives it a more intimate, exploratory feel than the broad covered arcades nearby. This is a place to duck down side streets in search of a promising doorway - a cramped izakaya with a hand-written menu, a specialist noodle counter, a craft-beer bar, a tucked-away sushi restaurant. Hiroshima's food culture is well represented here, from the ubiquitous okonomiyaki to tsukemen, the local style of cold dipping noodles served with a fiery sauce, along with fresh Setouchi seafood and oysters in season.

Fukuromachi's central location makes it easy to combine with the rest of a day in the city. It sits within a few minutes' walk of the Peace Memorial Park to the west, the Hondori arcade to the north, and the nightlife of Nagarekawa to the east, so it slots naturally into an itinerary as the dinner-and-drinks stop after a day of sightseeing. The district also holds a poignant piece of history: the former Fukuromachi Elementary School, whose surviving wall became a message board for survivors searching for loved ones after the atomic bombing, is preserved nearby as a peace memorial - a reminder, amid the restaurants, of what this ordinary neighbourhood endured and how it was rebuilt.

The experience here is relaxed and centred on food and atmosphere. By day the area is quiet and unremarkable; by evening it fills with people, lanterns and the smell of grilling, and the backstreets take on a warm, convivial buzz. It is flat and easy to walk, and the pleasure lies in exploring, following your nose and settling on a place that looks good. Prices range from cheap and cheerful to more refined, and because the district serves locals as much as tourists, standards are high and value good.

For visitors, Fukuromachi is the answer to the question of where to eat in central Hiroshima. Rather than a single destination, it is a zone to explore, ideally with a loose plan and an appetite. Pairing it with the sombre history of the nearby Peace Park - and perhaps a visit to the preserved elementary-school memorial - gives an evening here a fuller resonance, the ordinary joys of eating and drinking set against the memory of the city's darkest day.

Getting there is simple: Fukuromachi has its own tram stop and lies just south of Hondori, a short walk from Kamiyacho and the Peace Park. Come in the evening, wander its lanes, and let the district lead you to a memorable Hiroshima meal.