Hiroshima Prefecture produces about six out of every ten oysters farmed in Japan (61.5% in 2022, by the prefecture’s own count), and the rafts that grow them float in the water you cross on the ferry to Miyajima. So the island is the obvious place to eat them: grilled in the shell at shop fronts along the shopping street, fried, raw, or steamed with rice at two restaurants that do little else. The oyster season runs from October to June; outside it you can still eat oysters on Miyajima, but the best months are November to March.
This page tells you where to eat oysters on the island, what they cost, when to come, and what happened to the oyster festival, with hours and prices taken from the restaurants’ own websites and the Miyajima Tourist Association (checked October 2026).
Oysters on Miyajima at a glance
| Where | What | Hours and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yakigaki no Hayashi (焼がきのはやし), 505-1 Miyajima-cho | Grilled oysters 2 pieces 1,500 yen; oyster rice 1,600 yen; oyster rice bowl 2,000 yen; special fried oysters 2,100 yen; oyster tempura 900 yen; oyster-fry curry 2,000 yen. Raw oysters year-round | 10:30–17:00 (last order 16:30), closed Wednesdays. No reservations; seated in order of arrival. About 8 minutes’ walk from the pier. Since 1948 |
| Kakiya (牡蠣屋), 539 Miyajima-cho | Grilled, fried, raw and oyster rice; sake, beer and wine by the glass | 10:00–18:00, closes when the oysters run out; irregular holidays. Counter, tables and tatami seating |
| Shop fronts on Omotesando street | Grilled oysters in the shell, usually by the piece or pair | Daytime; most shops close 17:00–18:00 |
| Miyajima Brewery, 459-2 Miyajima-cho | Draft craft beer to go with them | Ground-floor beer stand 10:30–17:00, about 7 minutes from the pier |
| Miyajima Oyster Festival | Second weekend of February, 10:00–15:00, in front of the pier | The February 2026 festival (the 42nd) was cancelled because enough oysters could not be secured. No 2027 date announced |
Why Hiroshima oysters, and why here
Oyster farming in Hiroshima Bay goes back centuries, and the calm, nutrient-rich water of the Seto Inland Sea between the mainland and Miyajima is lined with the rafts from which the oysters hang on ropes. The prefecture’s figures put Hiroshima at 61.5% of national production in 2022, far ahead of Okayama (11.5%) and Miyagi (9.0%). Hiroshima oysters are usually described as large and mild, and the local way to eat them is cooked, grilled in the shell or fried, rather than raw; raw oysters are on the menu too, but the grill is the tradition.
The rafts you see from the ferry belong to growers on the mainland shore. On the island, the two oyster restaurants open before eleven and close in the late afternoon, and Kakiya says plainly that it shuts when the oysters run out: when the day’s oysters are gone, the day is over.
Where to eat oysters on Miyajima
Yakigaki no Hayashi: the grilled-oyster restaurant since 1948
Hayashi’s name means “Hayashi of the grilled oysters”, and the grill is what it has done since 1948. It is on the main street about eight minutes’ walk from the ferry pier, open 10:30 to 17:00 with last orders at 16:30, and closed on Wednesdays. It does not take reservations; you queue and are seated in order, and at lunchtime in season the queue is real. The core order is the grilled oysters at 1,500 yen for two, cooked in the shell. Beyond that: kaki-meshi, rice steamed with oysters, at 1,600 yen, or the heartier oyster rice bowl at 2,000 yen; the special oyster fry at 2,100 yen; oyster tempura at 900 yen; and an oyster-fry curry at 2,000 yen (prices include tax). Hayashi also serves raw oysters all year, which it manages with its own freezing process rather than fresh-off-the-raft in summer. If you want one meal that covers the ways Miyajima cooks an oyster, this is where to have it.
Kakiya: oysters with wine
Kakiya, a few doors along at 539 Miyajima-cho, is the other oyster specialist, with a darker, more modern room and a longer drinks list: sake, beer and wine by the glass, which is less common on the island than you might expect. Oysters come grilled, fried in batter, raw or over rice. It opens at 10:00 and closes at 18:00, or earlier if the oysters run out, and takes irregular days off. There is a counter for solo diners, tables, and a tatami room at the back.
Grilled oysters at the shop fronts
Along Omotesando shopping street several shops grill oysters at the front and sell them by the piece or the pair to eat standing up. This is the cheapest way to try one, and the smell is how most visitors find out that Miyajima is an oyster island. Prices are posted on each stall and change with the season. The street largely shuts between 17:00 and 18:00, so this is a daytime pleasure.
A beer to go with them
Miyajima Brewery, at 459-2 Miyajima-cho about seven minutes from the pier, brews on the island and pours fresh draft beer from a ground-floor stand open 10:30 to 17:00. A cup of its beer and two grilled oysters from a nearby stall is a very good ten minutes. Hayashi and Kakiya both serve beer and sake as well.
When to come: the season and the festival
Hiroshima’s oyster harvest runs from October to June, which is how the prefecture defines its season. The oysters are at their plumpest in the cold months, roughly November to March, and those are also the months when the shop-front grills are busiest. In summer the restaurants stay open but rely on frozen or specially handled stock; Hayashi is open about this, and its raw oysters in August are frozen ones. If oysters are a main reason for your visit, come in winter and combine them with the empty mornings and the illuminated torii that winter also brings.
The Miyajima Oyster Festival has traditionally been held on the second weekend of February in front of the ferry pier, from 10:00 to 15:00, with oysters grilled and sold in quantity. The 42nd festival, due in February 2026, was cancelled by the organisers because they could not secure enough oysters, and as of October 2026 no date has been announced for 2027. Treat the festival as a bonus if it happens, not as something to plan a trip around; the restaurants and stalls are open regardless.
What else Miyajima is famous for eating
Where to eat anago-meshi, okonomiyaki and momiji manju, with hours and closing days, is in Miyajima restaurants: where to eat.
If someone in your party does not eat oysters, the island has two other specialities with a long history. Anago-meshi, conger eel grilled and laid over rice, is the dish Miyajima and Miyajimaguchi are best known for after oysters; our page on anago-meshi and where to eat it lists the restaurants. Momiji manju, the maple-leaf-shaped sponge cake filled with sweet bean paste, was invented on Miyajima and is baked in a dozen shops along the street; see momiji manju: the shops and the fillings. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is also on the island, though the city does it on a grander scale.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Miyajima famous for?
Oysters, grilled in the shell or fried; anago-meshi (conger eel on rice); and momiji manju, the maple-leaf cake. Oysters and anago are lunch; momiji manju is the souvenir.
Where can I get Hiroshima oysters on Miyajima?
Yakigaki no Hayashi (10:30–17:00, closed Wednesdays) and Kakiya (10:00–18:00) are the two specialist restaurants, both on the main street within ten minutes of the pier. Shop fronts along Omotesando grill them by the piece during the day.
How much do oysters cost on Miyajima?
At Hayashi, two grilled oysters are 1,500 yen, oyster rice 1,600 yen and the special oyster fry 2,100 yen (October 2026, tax included). Stall prices for a single grilled oyster are posted at each shop and change with the season.
When is oyster season in Hiroshima?
October to June, with the best eating from November to March. Oysters are available on the island all year, but summer stock is frozen or specially handled.
Is the Miyajima Oyster Festival on in 2027?
Not announced as of October 2026. The February 2026 festival was cancelled because the organisers could not secure enough oysters. It is normally the second weekend of February, 10:00–15:00, in front of the pier; check the Miyajima Tourist Association before you plan around it.
What is considered the best oyster in the world?
That is a matter of taste and no one agrees. What can be said is that Hiroshima grows about 60% of Japan’s oysters and that the island’s cooks have had generations to work out how to grill one. Order the pair at Hayashi and decide for yourself.
Can I eat oysters on Miyajima in the evening?
Not easily. Both specialist restaurants close by 18:00 and the stalls earlier. If you are staying on the island, oysters are usually part of a ryokan dinner in season; otherwise eat them at lunch.
Sources: Hiroshima Prefecture (share of national oyster production, 2022; harvest season); Yakigaki no Hayashi and Miyajima Brewery (their own websites: hours, prices, addresses); Setouchi Tourism Authority (Kakiya: hours, menu, seating); Miyajima Tourist Association (oyster festival dates and the 2026 cancellation). Checked October 2026. Prices include tax and may change.
