Hiroshima Station North Exit Welcomes 'Theater-Style Tavern Surrounding Fire.' Baltan's 12 Years Culminate in 'Hinokoku,' Opening July 7

Baltan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hiroshima City, Representative Director: Naoya Ohata) opened its new restaurant, "Hinokoku" (hinokoku), in the Hiroshima Station North Exit area on July 7, 2026.

This new tavern is the culmination of 12 years of experience for Baltan, which has operated directly managed izakayas primarily around Hiroshima Station since its founding in 2014.

The centerpiece of Hinokoku is "fire."

Straw-grilled, charcoal-grilled, and kamameshi (rice cooked in a pot).

We have created a space where guests can enjoy the chef's craftsmanship and the rising flames surrounding a hearth placed in the center of the restaurant as part of the tavern experience.

A theater-style counter with 20 seats surrounding the hearth at the center of Hinokoku.

The straw-grilled dishes at Hinokoku, with flames rising before your eyes.

The culmination of Baltan's 12 years of continuous tavern creation in Hiroshima.

Baltan Co., Ltd. was founded in Hiroshima in 2014.

Under its own management, the company operates restaurants with distinct personalities, such as "Baltan Honten," "Enkobashi," and "Shirokuro," primarily around Hiroshima Station.

Our goal is not simply to increase the number of stores, but to create unique establishments in each location with our own hands.

With this philosophy, we have been building taverns in Hiroshima for 12 years.

Hinokoku is a new restaurant that brings together all that experience into one establishment.

With 75 seats, it is Baltan's largest-scale restaurant to date.

A space with an investment of over approximately 50 million yen.

We have reassembled the cooking, customer service, and space design cultivated at each of our previous stores, starting from scratch.

Our aim was neither a high-end restaurant nor a casual tavern.

Surrounding the fire, waiting for food, drinking sake, and people gathering.

We sought to recreate the original passion of a tavern for the current era.

The exterior of "Hinokoku," born in the Hiroshima Station North Exit area.

The origin of the space is the Mitakoyama Battery ruins in Etajima.

There is a foundational concept for Hinokoku's space design.

It is the Mitakoyama Battery ruins remaining in Etajima City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Representative Ohata was deeply impressed when he coincidentally visited the site during a company trip.

The battery ruins, built in the Meiji era, are now covered in greenery after a long time.

Fallen leaves are scattered on the ground, and plants grow from the gaps between stones and bricks.

Time and nature slowly envelop what people carved in a distant era.

It was a space where time seemed to have stopped.

The Mitakoyama Battery is said to have completed its role without firing a single shell in actual combat.

A place built in preparation for war now rests quietly, enveloped by nature.

Ohata felt a symbol of peace there.

Hinokoku's space is inspired by that memory.

Aged bricks.

Walls that seem to have accumulated time.

Vegetation growing as if breaking through the ground.

Worn-out antique furniture.

Although it is a newly built restaurant, the space feels as if it has been there for a long time.

Hinokoku expresses the "human trace, nature, and time" felt at the Mitakoyama Battery ruins as a tavern.

The Mitakoyama Battery ruins in Etajima, the origin of the space design.

The Mitakoyama Battery ruins, where brick and stone architecture is covered by nature over a long period.

The exterior, with its impressive arches, inspired by the Mitakoyama Battery ruins.

The ceiling on the second floor, retaining the original beams of the old house.

There is fire at the center of the restaurant.

In the center of Hinokoku's first floor is a large hearth.

Surrounding this hearth is a theater-style counter with 20 seats.

Straw catches fire before your eyes, and flames rise.

Ingredients are grilled over charcoal, and smoke rises.

The lid of the pot is opened, and steam billows out.

These seats are designed not just for enjoying the finished dish, but for savoring the very moment the food is being prepared.

Just a few dozen centimeters from the fire.

Just a few dozen centimeters from the chef.

These are the best seats in Hinokoku, closest to the fire.

The theater-style counter, where you can enjoy the fire and the chef up close.

The flames of straw-grilled dishes rising directly in front of the counter.

Savor three types of fire: straw-grilled, charcoal-grilled, and kamameshi.

The three pillars of Hinokoku's cuisine are "straw," "charcoal," and "pot."

For straw-grilling, we offer "bonito straw-grilled," seared quickly over high heat, as well as Wagyu kōne (beef neck).

For charcoal-grilling, we grill ingredients such as Chōshū chicken, Iwami pork, conger eel, king prawns, and oysters, varying the cooking method for each ingredient.

And to conclude the meal, we offer kamameshi, cooked one pot at a time.

We also incorporate Hiroshima ingredients such as conger eel and oysters.

These dishes are not merely for showcasing the fire.

We deliver the aroma, texture, and flavor that can only be achieved by using fire.

Bonito straw-grilled, seared quickly over high heat.

Hinokoku's cuisine, centered on straw-grilled, charcoal-grilled, and kamameshi.

Hinokoku's kamameshi, cooked one pot at a time.

Conger eel from Hiroshima, prepared in three ways.

At Hinokoku, conger eel, one of Hiroshima's representative ingredients, is treated as an important ingredient.

Thinly sliced.

Simmered slowly, then grilled over charcoal for a smoky finish.

And kamameshi, which seals the conger eel's umami into the rice.

We don't limit one ingredient to a single signature dish.

Through Hinokoku's "fire" and "craftsmanship," we prepare dishes that can be enjoyed in three different expressions.

Conger eel sashimi.

Conger eel kamameshi.

Charcoal-grilled simmered conger eel.

Nights for two surrounding the fire, and banquets for large groups.

Hinokoku is a large tavern with 75 seats.

However, it is not a restaurant solely for large groups.

The first floor features a 20-seat theater-style counter surrounding the central hearth, loft seating, and private rooms.

Enjoy a meal for two surrounding the fire.

A time for couples or friends to slowly enjoy sake.

The second floor has sunken tatami seating, private rooms, and a large hall that can be opened up by removing partitions.

From meals for small groups to banquets for large numbers.

It is a tavern that shows completely different faces depending on the number of people using it.

Banquet scene in the second-floor hall.

Banquet scene in the second-floor hall.

View from across the counter.

Banquet courses starting from 5,000 yen with 2-hour all-you-can-drink. Also available for banquets.

Hinokoku offers three types of banquet courses with a 2-hour all-you-can-drink option: 5,000 yen, 6,000 yen, and 7,000 yen (tax included).

These courses allow guests to enjoy Hinokoku's signature dishes at once, including bonito straw-grilled, today's assorted platter, Chōshū chicken kuwayaki, fried dishes, and kamameshi.

Available for groups of 2 to large numbers, the courses are designed for a wide range of uses, including company banquets, gatherings with friends, and various dining occasions.

Leveraging its location within walking distance of Hiroshima Station, we hope it will be used not only for everyday meals but also as a place for people to gather.

Example banquet course.

The meaning behind the restaurant name "Hinokoku."

Hinokoku.

The name carries the meaning of "announcing the lighting of a fire."

Places where people gather have always had fire.

Surrounding the fire, eating, drinking, and talking.

We believe that even as times change, the roots of a tavern remain the same.

Time that cannot be created by efficiency or convenience alone.

A place where you want to stay a little longer, watching the fire.

Hinokoku aims to be such a tavern.

Representative's comment.

"For 12 years, I have been continuously creating izakayas in Hiroshima.

Instead of imitating popular restaurants, we have constantly thought about what kind of tavern we truly want to visit, and Hinokoku is the answer we created.

With 76 seats, it is the second-largest establishment after Baltan Honten. We have made a significant investment.

However, what we wanted to create was not just a 'large restaurant.'

There is fire in front of you, a chef, people gathering, and drinking sake.

We wanted to create the origin of such a tavern in Hiroshima today.

At the Mitakoyama Battery ruins, which we coincidentally visited during a company trip, I felt a space where time seemed to have stopped. The sight of nature gradually covering what humans had built over a long period.

And in a place that ended its role without firing a single shell, I felt a symbol of peace.

Hinokoku was born from the fusion of that memory and 12 years of tavern-building experience.

I hope this restaurant will be a place that ignites a new fire in the city of Hiroshima.

Baltan Co., Ltd. Representative Director, Naoya Ohata

Store Overview.

Restaurant Name: Hinokoku (hinokoku)

Opening Date: July 7, 2026

Location: 9-10 Wakakusa-cho, Higashi-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture

Access: 8-minute walk from Hiroshima Station North Exit TEL: 082-263-7774

Seating Capacity: 76 seats

Business Hours: Weekdays 17:00 - 24:00 Weekends and Holidays 15:00 - 24:00

Regular Holiday: Tuesdays (irregular holidays)

Main Dishes: Straw-grilled, charcoal-grilled, kamameshi, Setouchi seafood, Hiroshima ingredients, etc.

Banquet Courses: Starting from 5,000 yen (tax included) with 2-hour all-you-can-drink.

Official Website: https://hinokoku.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hino_koku/

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About Baltan Co., Ltd.

Baltan Co., Ltd. was founded in 2014. The company operates directly managed restaurants primarily around Hiroshima Station.

We operate restaurants with distinct personalities, including "Baltan Honten," "Enkobashi," "Shirokuro," and "Hinokoku."

Our corporate philosophy is "Ignite fire, and make people passionate."

We value creating unique establishments in each location with our own hands.

Company Name: Baltan Co., Ltd.

Representative: Naoya Ohata, Representative Director

Founded: February 14, 2014

Business Activities: Planning and operation of restaurants

Official Homepage: https://baltan.co.jp/