Kanawa Floating Restaurant

Kanawa is one of Hiroshima's most distinctive dining experiences: a century-old houseboat restaurant permanently moored on the Motoyasu River, within sight of the Peace Memorial Park and its iconic Atomic Bomb Dome. The vessel itself is an antique wooden craft with traditional Japanese interior rooms, making the journey down the gangplank feel like stepping into a different era. The restaurant's entire identity is built around Hiroshima's celebrated kaki (Pacific oysters), which are cultivated in the nutrient-rich Seto Inland Sea and are considered among Japan's finest. Oysters appear in every possible preparation: raw on the half-shell with ponzu, steamed, grilled over charcoal with garlic butter and soy sauce, deep-fried as crisp kaki-furai, and slow-simmered in the cold-weather speciality dotenabe — a rich miso hot pot. The kitchen also produces an accomplished sashimi platter drawing on daily Seto Inland Sea catches. The dining rooms are traditional tatami or low-table seating with views across the river, and the atmosphere is calm and unhurried, suited to a long multi-course dinner rather than a quick meal. The full oyster course lunch set offers excellent value at around ¥3,000 per person. Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner; the phone line and Tableall booking platform both accept bookings. The oyster season runs October through May, when the restaurant is at its most impressive — during summer months the menu shifts toward other seafood.