The building of JR Onomichi Station was renovated and renewed in March 2019.
Moststations are often used as a spot where you just passing through, but the new Onomichi Station building is not like that!
This spot aims to be a place for cultural exchange.

Here we will introduce one of the shops in the building, “ONOMARU SHOUTEN (Shop).”

When you enter the station, you can easily find “ONOMARU SHOUTEN” located near the ticket gate.
This shop sellsvarious things like local cuisine and food, souvenirs, etc. – and all of them are related to Onomichi.

▲“Onomichi-maki (Onomichi Roll)” 180 yen

There is an “Onigiri Stand” at the entrance of the shop, which sells some food.
One item is the “Setouchi-maki (Setouchi Roll), and there are 2 kinds of rolls.
The one in the photo above is “Onomichi-maki” with plentiful powdered shrimp!
This is a very unique sushi roll even for Japanese, with a combination of shrimp powder (this ingredient is not so familiar!) and rice seasoned with vinegar. However, this roll is a standard for locals in Onomichi.
And because it is made by a popular local sushi restaurant, its deliciousness has been “authorized” by the people of Onomichi!

▲“Onomichi Wappa” from 550 yen

“Onomichi Wappa” are also sold at Onigiri Stand, and they are bento boxes of several kinds of rice.
The most typical one is Onomichi’s local “Bara-zushi” which is a kind of sushi rice in a box with a variety of ingredients sprinkled on top.
Also, maybe you will find various kinds of Wappa rice with sea bream, conger eel or octopus that has been caught locally, and the menu will change with the seasons.
The size is rather small, but it is suitable for a train trip, isn’t it?

Homemade sweets can be had at the café space in the store.

There is a café space inside of the shop and it has about 20 seats.
You can have some drinks and sweets, carefully made with mainly local ingredients.

You can see that all the menu items here are heartily and freshly made and served one by one.
For example, the Green Smoothie, the one of the more popular menu items, is prepared by cutting vegetables at the kitchen after receiving the order…!

▲“Bingo Grape Vinegar Soda” 450 yen

Now, here are 2 recommended menu items at the café.

One is “Bingo Grape Vinegar Soda” (Bingo is the old name of this area) which has a cool sensation!
It tastes like a sparkling wine with its refreshing sour flavor, and we would like to recommend this to “adult” people.

▲“Tochu Tea Parfait” 690 yen

And the other one is “Tochu Tea Parfait.”
Tochu tea is also known as gutta percha tea, a tea high in minerals, and this is a specialty of Innoshima Island in Onomichi City.
Actually, the volume of Tochu Tea produced in Innoshima is the highest in all Japan.
The jelly and soft ice cream in the parfait are also made with Tochu Tea cultivated in Innoshima, and not too sweet.
And surprisingly, the other ingredients of parfait are related to Onomichi.

Many items which you can get ONLY at “Onomaru Shouten”

Not only food, but also goods and souvenirs!
It is really good to get unique Onomichi souvenirs here. Some of them are sold only here, such as some original T-shirts and bags with Onomichi City emblems and keychains with a “Debera” dried fish motif, one of the specialties of Onomichi.

A staff member’s recommendation is a T-shirt with an illustration by Hiroshi Nagai, a famous illustrator in Japan.
This illustration was drawn by Nagai, who came to Onomichi specifically to make this image by experience the place and capture the image of the city for himself.

Let’s go on to Shimanami Kaido with a bicycle!

This shop also rents cool bicycles!
All of the rental bicycles are GIANT’s, a sport bicycle brand.
Also, it has cross bicycles and E-bicycles, which are good for people who are experiencing cycling for the first time.
If you would like to go cycling with these bicycles, it is best to make a reservation beforehand.

Photographs and text by Akiko Isonaga