Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki layers its ingredients, as seen here at Syo-Chan at Okonomimura in Hiroshima, Japan. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

A visit to Hiroshima isn’t complete without a meal of the city’s unique style of okonomiyaki, the savory flour-and-cabbage staple of Japanese cuisine.

You’ll find more than two dozen variations on okonomiyaki inside the four-story Okonomimura building.

Literally translated as “Okonomiyaki Village,” the building has a first-floor entrance and approximately eight separate stalls per floor from the second floor upwards.

Each stall offers its own take on Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

Most of the okonomiyaki found throughout Japan is made Osaka style, where the ingredients are combined before they’re poured onto a hot griddle.

Hiroshima-style, however, is all about layering the ingredients and then adding noodles, either soba or udon.

Syo-Chan, one of the many okonomiyaki stands at Okonomimura in central Hiroshima, Japan, emphasizes local ingredients. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

Stalls at Okonomimura often focus on a singular ingredient or addition. Teppei Ekimae, found on the fourth floor, incorporates oysters. Suigun, on the third floor, specializes in other varieties of seafood.

Syo-Chan, also on the third floor, features local ingredients. Their pork, egg and kimchi okonomiyaki, served with the option of soba or udon, was piled high on the grill and served piping hot.

The layering method gave the dish much more texture than an Osaka-style counterpart, while the noodles made the hearty dish even more filling.

Okonomiyaki Village

Location: Hiroshima, Naka Ward, 5-13 Shintenchi

Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Prices: Okonomiyaki ranges from 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen; drinks from 300 yen to 1,000 yen.

Dress: Casual

Directions: From Hiroshima Station, head south across the Enko River via Ekimae-dori for about ¾ mile. Turn right onto Inario, continue ½ mile and turn left onto Chuo-Dori. The building is just behind the Don Quijote Hiroshima Hacchobori.

Information: www.okonomimura.jp/foreign/english.html