October 18, 2026 (Today)
Momiji manju is the Hiroshima meibutsu you'll see stacked in every souvenir shop from the Peace Park to Hiroshima Station. Most people grab a box at the airport and never think about it again. On Miyajima, where it was born, it's a different snack entirely, especially when it comes out of a fryer.
It's a small sponge cake shaped like a maple leaf, filled with red bean paste. Simple. What makes it interesting is that on Miyajima Island you can watch it being made by machines in shop windows, get it warm, and try it battered and fried. Same snack, three completely different experiences within 100 meters.
The ferry drops you off and deer immediately start eyeing your paper bags. The main drag, Omotesando shopping street, is a tunnel of momiji manju shops, oyster grills, and rice paddle stores. On weekends it's shoulder to shoulder.
Then there's the other Miyajima: the side streets uphill, the old wooden houses, the temples on the slopes of Mt. Misen. Ten minutes from the crowd, it goes quiet enough to hear the deer chewing.
The usual story: around 1906, confectioner Takatsu Tsunesuke made the cake at the request of the Iwaso inn in Momijidani, the maple valley behind Itsukushima Shrine. The legend attached to it is that Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi, visiting the valley, told a teahouse girl her hands looked like little maple leaves good enough to eat. Whether he actually said it is anyone's guess, but the shops love telling it.
What's documented is that momiji manju grew from one inn's sweet into an industry, with dozens of makers on the island and in the city.
Age-momiji is a momiji manju dipped in batter and deep-fried, served on a stick. The crunchy shell against the hot, soft cake and bean paste is better than it sounds. Momijido on Omotesando is the shop most associated with it, and the line moves fast.
Fillings have also gone wild: custard, chocolate, cheese, matcha. Locals tend to be loyal to particular makers like Nishikido, Fujiya, or Yamadaya, and argue about it the way other cities argue about ramen.
Momiji manju's nationwide fame got a huge boost from Shimada Yoshichi of the comedy duo B&B. During the 1980s manzai boom, the Hiroshima-born comedian's shouted "Momiji manju!" gag became a catchphrase across Japan. A lot of people over 50 still can't hear the name without doing the pose.
Only at high tide. At low tide the giant torii stands in mud and people walk right up to it. Neither is bad, but if you want the postcard shot, check the tide table before you go. Also, Miyajima now charges a visitor tax (100 yen for a standard visit) that's added to your ferry ticket, so don't be surprised.