[JAPAN] HONSHU: TAKAYAMA 3 HOURS GUIDE

TAKAYAMA

Maybe you've heard about famous Shirakawa-go traditional houses, one of world heritage in Gifu provence. But have you heard about one beautiful city, Takayama? Capital and can be said as city center of Gifu provence. Small old town that offer you beautiful scenery and one of japan best quality of wagyu, hida beef.

I've been here before and i miss their street food so i asked my boyfriend if we could visit just a short visit here before we went to osaka.

TRANSPORTATION TO TAKAYAMA

You can use jr rail train or Bus from any bus station around Japan. But i took bus from Kawaguchi station to Takayama station and had 3 hours for exploring the city before continue my journey to Osaka.

From station or bus terminal, The old town just a walk distance around 1 km just follow google for the way :)

And here it is!

#1

HIDA KOTTE USHI

34 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken

Open hours 10am~5pm

THE BEST BEEF SUSHI I'VE EVER EATEN. They torched the beef just for seconds so it can be said rare but it super melting when you put in your mouthhhhh super mouthgasm. You can also eat the serving plate because it made out of rice cracker. Price starts ¥600 but i order ¥1100 with 2 regular hida sushi + 1 quil egg hida sushi

TASTE 100000/10 HAHA

#2 KIHACHIRO

3 Shimoichinomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu-ken

Oen hours 10am~5pm

So before we tried hida beef in sushi form now in warm bun! If you come here on winter time it will taste 10x better haha. Price only ¥500/bun or ¥350 for red bean or black bean filling. 

Taste 9/10

#3

RANDOM RESTO 

*i forgetted the name HAHA

Now hida beef skewerrrr ♡ omg just a mini size of hida beef steak super good cooked medium and lil sprinkle of salt just too perfect. Price ¥500/stick

TASTE 10/10

Overall takayama has not so many things to see but if you're looking for quite and chill city it is for you!

♡

[JAPAN] TAKAYAMA SANNOMACHI

After Mt Fuji, I have visited other Japan traditional site and it amazed me! TAKAYAMA SANNOMACHI, which is located in Takayama area is a small traditional village known as central of samurai or samurai town ( Samurai is not a sword, samurai is man who devotes their live to their lord and using a sword called katana) during Edo period. This place is quite big so if you too lazy to explore it by foot, you can rent a ricksaw ¥5000 for 30 minutes. 

 

Beside their traditional buildings, here also famous with their local products that has been quite big business in centuries, such as house hold goods, crafts, local arts, and the most popular one is SAKE, japanese traditional alcoholic liquor. How to find Sake house in the middle of other traditional house? It's easy, if you see a house with a Sugidama ( a big ball made from Ceddar tree leaves) like picture below, it must be Sake House. Fresh hung Sugidama is made to tell customers that new sake is brewed. Psssss, here you can buy a traditional sloki glass ( shot glass) for only ¥100 and try all sake samples in the refrigerator without limit YEAH!!! get drunk get drunk HAHA ( indonesian logic) You not only can buy sake for drink but here they are also sell sake jelly, sake powder, and other processed sake.

Other famous local product is MISO PASTE. Miso is made from fermented rice, barley, soybean with salt and other ingredients. There are many kind of miso depending on the production area in Japan. Here in Takayama, Gifu prefecture, is famous with Soybean miso ( Mame-Miso). As you can see picture below, The darker one is Mame-Miso, it's darker because it contain pure soybean without any other ingredients, it takes a long fermented time, domained with astringency and savory tasted. And the brighter one is White Miso (Shori-Miso), This is the most widely produced miso, made in many regions of the country. Its main ingredients are rice, barley, and a small quantity of soybeans. If a greater quantity of soybeans was added, the miso would be red or brown like Mame- Miso. Compared with red miso, white miso has a very short fermentation time. The taste is sweet, and the umami is soft or light (compared to red miso).

SUSHI CRAVING!

when I took a walk along the street, I found one small stall that sell HIDAGYU RAW SUSHI. Hidagyu or Hida beef is popular in Gifu Prefecture.It seems legit with wagyu :P I ordered the complete one with 2 pieces of hidagyu sushi and 1 piece of hidagyu egg sushi. It prices ¥900, quite pricey but you will never regret it! And taa-daa, it was so cute!!!!!!!! They served it one a rice cracker ( you can eat it), and for sushi(s) that not raw but... medium rare crazy! For Hidagyu sushi, rice topped with hidagyu slice, and then burn with blowtorch and sprink it with green onion. And for hidagyu egg sushi, it is the same but added a quill egg

2 PIECES OF MEDIUM RARE HIDAGYU SUSHI & 1 PIECE OF HIDAGYU EGG SUSHI ¥900

lunch restaurant

MATSUNOMORI

hidagyu hobamiso

After trying Hidagyu processed as sushi, At lunch time, I ate hidagyu again yey! but in more traditional way and this is the most popular dish of hidagyu, HOBAMISO, It looks like yakiniku but different because It laid over a magnolia leave and roasting on it miso, onions, shiitake mushrooms,and hidagyu, with some oil. Traditionally using charcoal or modern way with small stove. Eat it with sake or a side dish like pickle or cold soba. Increadible taste! Unique smokey taste from magnolia leave, perfectly cooked shitake and bean sprouts ( still crunchy) and super tender hidagyu, but tasted a lil bit too salty so you have to eat it with rice.

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