Must-try dishes from Hida Takayama: Japan’s best wagyu, sake, and more!
Does the thought of marbled Japanese wagyu (和牛) make your mouth water? Are you excited about sinking your teeth into some chewy, delicious, rice cakes? If you’re a foodie like me, eating everything you can see and smell is probably your favourite part of any trip—almost as important as seeing the sights! After all, a vacation is the best excuse to treat yourself, and for a trip where you can eat and drink well, while soaking in the atmosphere of historical towns, your first stop has got to be Takayama (高山), a town in the mountainous Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県 Gifu-ken).
Tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go (白川郷) will often stop by Takayama (高山), a less remote town in close proximity to the more famous villages. Because the name Takayama (高山) is a common one, the town is more often known as Hida Takayama (飛騨高山) to local Japanese and is one of the best places to go for two things: delicious food, and amazing sake (酒). Keep reading to see some of the best food and drinks you can find along the streets of this quaint old town. I hope you’re hungry!
Hida beef
Hida beef nigiri sushi, served atop a rice cracker. (Image credit: SteFou! / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Prime wagyu beef from Japan is among the world’s most sought-after culinary ingredients. There are several regions of Japan that are known for their high-quality cattle, and Hida beef (飛騨牛 Hidagyu) is recognised as one of the best in the country. Gifu Prefecture has the longest history in Japan for breeding award-winning cattle using tried and true methods, but the prefecture also has another advantage: abundant nature. The cows that become Hida beef graze in green pastures, breathing fresh air and drinking spring water from the Japan Alps—all the ingredients for the most delicious, perfectly marbled beef.
A Hida beef skewer kushiyaki. (Image credit: Andrew Ch’ng)
At Takayama (高山), there’s no need to visit a fancy restaurant or spend a lot of money to taste some Hida beef. On the streets of Takayama’s old town, Sanmachi (三町), Hida beef is sold from shop windows as street food. There’s Hida beef croquette, beef kushiyaki (串焼き) skewers, and even beef sushi. For a fancier fare, Hida beef is a staple kaiseki (会席) dinner at ryokan (旅館) in the area, and at restaurants too, where it is typically served as sukiyaki (すき焼き), or yakiniku (焼肉).
Hida Kotteushi (飛騨こって牛)
Address: 34 Kamisanno-machi, Takayama-shi, Gifu 506-0846
Nearest station: Takayama Station (高山駅)
Access: 15-minute walk from station
Opening hours: 10am–5pm
Tel: +81 577-37-7733
Goheimochi and Mitarashi dango
A charcoal grilled Goheimochi. (Image credit: Winnie Tan)
A street food you’ll see people eating everywhere along Sanmachi (三町) is the goheimochi (五平餅), a regional snack of Gifu Prefecture. From far away, what almost looks like a half-eaten popsicle is in fact rice cake on a stick, slathered with a sweet local miso paste and fired atop a charcoal grill, or arranged around a traditional irori (囲炉) hearth.
Since this snack is slowly cooked over charcoal, its wonderfully fragrant smells travel up and down the street. As for taste, the saltiness of miso is combined with sweet flavours, creating a very rich-tasting snack that has a chewy, fun-to-eat texture too.
Mitarashi dango fresh off the grill. (Image credit: Carrie / CC BY-SA 2.0)
If you’re a fan of Japanese snacks, you’ve probably already tried mitarashi dango (みたらし団子), which are round rice cakes glazed in a sweet soy sauce. In Takayama, this snack is as much of a staple as goheimochi, but unlike mitarashi dango found in the rest of the country, the ones here carry no hint of sweetness at all. Traditionally, the rice cakes here are splashed with soy sauce, and grilled over charcoal to make a savoury snack.
Fujimiya (二四三屋)
Address: 3-1 Hon-machi, Takayama-shi, Gifu 506-0011
Nearest station: Takayama Station (高山駅)
Access: 9-minute walk from station
Tel: +81 577-33-1210
Sake
Sake barrels outside a brewery. (Image credit: jessedyck / CC BY-SA 2.0)
In its heyday some hundreds of years ago, Takayama was home to over 60 sake breweries. Today, six still remain, keeping the town’s history and tradition of sake brewing alive. Some of the best sake in the country can be found in this little town, and there are several factors that make the sake here exceptional. First, locally grown rice with a well-rounded flavour profile is the main ingredient to this delicious sake. Then, fresh water distilled from the Japan Alps go into each batch. Lastly, the cold climate of the region creates the optimum temperature for brewing and producing good quality sake.
All six breweries have their signature sake, plus various seasonal brews as well. There’s certainly a lot to choose from, but tastings are always available at each of the breweries, so if you really want to try them all, you can!
Harada Sake Brewery (原田酒造場)
Address: 10 Kamisanno-machi, Takayama-shi, Gifu 506-0846
Nearest station: Takayama Station (高山駅)
Access: 11-minute walk from station
Opening hours: 8:30am–6pm
Tel: +81 577-32-0120
Hoba miso
A Hoba Miso set meal with Hida beef. (Image credit: Andrew Ch’ng)
A staple dish in Takayama and Shirakawago is Hoba Miso (朴葉味噌). To prepare this dish, a dried magnolia leaf is soaked and placed atop a small grill at the dining table. On top of the leaf is an assortment of vegetables, mushrooms, and meat slices, covered in a layer of local miso and left to cook.
It sounds like a simple-enough dish, but cooking the ingredients through the magnolia leaf imbues it with a unique fragrance and adds an extra layer of taste. The miso sauce is thick and rich in flavour—salty, yet slightly sweet too. Hot and flavourful, Hoba miso is a hearty dish that will warm you to your core, particularly during Takayama’s famously chilly winter days!
Kyoya (京や)
Address: 1-77 Oshin-machi, Takayama-shi, Gifu 506-0851
Nearest station: Takayama Station (高山駅)
Access: 15-minute walk from station
Opening hours: 11am–10pm (Last order 9:30pm)
Tel: +81 577-34-7660
If I were to describe Takayama’s culinary treasures in the simplest terms, it would probably be “comfort food”. Everywhere you look, the dishes found here feature the best local ingredients, yet there’s little need for elaborate preparations. Something as simple as grilled beef skewers immediately hits the spot, and no matter what sake you drink, or food you eat, you’re bound to leave with a warm, satisfied feeling in your tummy. Takayama brings you the perfect balance of simple pleasures like fragrant street food, and the extraordinary flavours of wagyu, and sake. All of that combined, is what I call an amazing food trip!
Header image credit: Andrew Ch’ng
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