Image: Wikimedia Commons
Himeji oden is a local specialty of Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, in which oden is eaten with ginger soy sauce (shoga joyu), either poured over it or used as a dip. Oden is usually served with mustard, but in Himeji people use koikuchi (dark) soy sauce mixed with grated ginger. What defines Himeji oden is not a special broth or special ingredients but this way of eating itself. Himeji has two kinds of oden, 'kantodaki,' with a strong, sweet seasoning, and lightly seasoned oden, but either one is called Himeji oden as long as it is eaten with ginger soy sauce. Originally this was the way of eating oden only in a limited area centered on Himeji and stretching from around Kakogawa to Aioi. It is also said to have started in the early Showa period, when people poured ginger soy sauce over sweet-and-savory kantodaki to adjust the flavor. In 2006 (Heisei 18), it was named 'Himeji oden' as part of a town revitalization effort. Today it is said to be available at about 100 establishments in the city, and it is eaten both at home and at celebratory gatherings such as autumn festivals.
Origin
There are several theories about why ginger soy sauce is used with oden in Himeji. Himeji is a ginger-producing area, and the surrounding region was one of the leading soy sauce producers; Tatsuno City is known for usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce. It is thought that this eating custom arose from the combination of these two familiar seasonings. It is also said to have started in the early Showa period, when people poured ginger soy sauce over strongly sweet kantodaki to adjust the flavor. For a long time it was simply the ordinary way of eating oden locally, and people were not aware that it was a custom not found in other regions.
History
In 2006 (Heisei 18), a group of volunteers working on 'town revitalization through Himeji food' named this way of eating 'Himeji oden.' Since then, the Himeji Oden Promotion Committee has been promoting oden eaten with ginger soy sauce throughout Japan. At the time of the 'Himeji Kashihaku 2008' confectionery exposition in 2008 (Heisei 20), a cake shaped like Himeji oden was also created. The Himeji Convention & Visitors Bureau also introduces it as one of Himeji's local specialties.
Features
Ginger soy sauce is made by mixing as much grated fresh ginger as you like into koikuchi soy sauce. It is put in a small dish and either poured over the ingredients or diluted with the oden broth and used as a dip. Standard ingredients include daikon radish, knotted kombu, chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake), konnyaku, ito-konnyaku (konnyaku noodles), boiled eggs, gobo-ten (fish cake with burdock), and hira-ten (flat fish cake). Some shops also serve beef tendon or octopus. The refreshing heat of the ginger brings a crisp accent to the ingredients, which have soaked up the broth.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
In Himeji, oden has been an everyday home dish and has also been eaten at celebrations such as autumn festivals and ridge-raising ceremonies (muneage). Potatoes left in the pot, full of flavor, are sometimes used to make 'nikuten,' a local style of okonomiyaki.
How It Differs from Home Cooking
At home, ginger soy sauce is served with both sweet-and-savory oden like kantodaki and lightly seasoned oden. Many specialty shops use a secret broth that they have kept topping up since they opened, and customers add flavor with ginger soy sauce while enjoying the taste of the broth itself.
Famous Shops
停主
兵庫県姫路市本町68
A long-established oden shop near JR and Sanyo Himeji stations that has been in business for more than 60 years and is now run by the third generation. Oden simmered in a secret broth that has been topped up since the shop opened is enjoyed with ginger soy sauce poured over it. The shop reopened after a full renovation in August 2026. Oden costs about 150 to 300 yen per item.
十七八（となはち）
兵庫県姫路市呉服町46
A long-established oden shop about a five-minute walk from JR Himeji Station, passed down through three generations of the same family. There is only counter seating, and it is busy with regulars who come to enjoy oden every day. It is a popular shop, and many people name it first when Himeji oden comes up.
おでん処 能古（のこ）
兵庫県姫路市白銀町107 白銀ビル1階
An oden shop about a five-minute walk from JR Himeji Station. Here you can enjoy oden in the Himeji oden style, dipping it in ginger soy sauce diluted with the oden broth. It opens in the evening and is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
| 創作西洋菓子 大陸 'Himeji Oden Cake' | A cake shaped like a skewer of oden, created by the Himeji pastry shop '大陸' for the 2008 Himeji Kashihaku confectionery exposition. Pieces made from three kinds of cake batter are put on a skewer and sprinkled with a ginger-flavored white chocolate powder that stands in for ginger soy sauce. It costs about 540 yen per skewer and can be bought at the main store (姫路市綿町89) or by mail order. |
|---|
FAQ
Q. Is the broth or the ingredients of Himeji oden special?
A. No. What defines Himeji oden is eating it with ginger soy sauce, either poured over it or used as a dip. Whether it is strongly sweet kantodaki or lightly seasoned oden, either one is called Himeji oden when eaten with ginger soy sauce. The broth and ingredients vary from household to household and from shop to shop.