A hillside port town of ramen and sea views
Onomichi is a port town on the Seto Inland Sea, about an hour by shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Fukuyama, then 20 minutes on a local train. Its ramen, a soy-sauce soup made with stock from small local fish and dotted with bits of pork back fat, spread from food stalls by the harbor. Ride the ropeway up the hill to look down on the narrow sea channel and tiled roofs, then walk down the slopes for a bowl near the shopping street.
A ramen shop that took over the recipe and menu of one of the shops that created Onomichi ramen. The soy broth glistens with floating pork back fat and the noodles are flat and wide, the old-fashioned style the town is known for. Lines form easily, so come early or on a weekday.
A ramen shop serving the classic Onomichi bowl, with a broth of small fish and pork back fat. The favorite topping here is kakuni, chunks of pork belly braised until they fall apart. Have a bowl here and another at a different shop to see how much each one differs.
The lower station of a ropeway, an aerial cable car, that rises to the top of the hill above town in about three minutes, with the sea channel and the town's tiled rooftops spreading out below the windows. Ride it up only, then walk down the hillside lanes and stone steps to see the town on foot.
A temple built on a huge rock halfway up the hill, its vermilion hall jutting out toward the sea. From its grounds you look down on the channel and the shipyards on the island across, and stone steps lead you down into town.
A covered shopping arcade running east from Onomichi Station, with shops selling bags of hanpu, a sturdy cotton canvas made locally, old sweet shops and cafes in old buildings. It is flat and sheltered from rain, a good place to wander after the slopes.