After about a one-hour bus ride from Shirakawa-go, you can reach Hida Takayama. Takayama City is located in the northern part of Gifu Prefecture (the Hida region). The current city of Takayama was formed on February 1, 2005, through the merger of the former Takayama City with nine surrounding towns and villages. Following this merger, the city became the largest municipality in Japan by area (2,179.6705 square kilometers), exceeding even Kagawa Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture in size, and roughly equivalent to the entire area of Tokyo Metropolis.
The most famous local specialty here is Hida beef. “Hida beef” refers to Japanese Black cattle raised and fattened for more than 14 months within Gifu Prefecture. According to the certification system implemented by the Japan Meat Grading Association, only cattle with an edible yield grade of A or B and a meat quality grade of 5, 4, or 3 that have been confirmed and approved by the Hida Beef Brand Promotion Council Secretariat may bear this designation. Those not meeting these standards are referred to as Hida Wagyu. Hida beef is renowned for its exceptional marbling, featuring beautiful patterns resembling those found on young deer. Sashimi preparation is not limited to premium tenderloin; rib, shoulder, and leg cuts are also used. Due to the fat content within the meat, when simmered with vegetables, the fat forms a protective layer around the meat, preventing juices and aromas from escaping while maintaining a tender texture.
Therefore, upon arrival, we chose Maruaki, a very famous local restaurant specializing in Hida beef. It’s a large establishment with a separate, spacious section dedicated to selling raw beef. Prices are surprisingly reasonable, but unfortunately, we couldn’t bring any beef back home, nor did we have the facilities to cook it ourselves during our trip.
The restaurant was incredibly crowded; people have been lining up and taking numbers since opening every day, with visitors from all over the world. There’s a self-service ticket machine where you simply enter your party size to get a number. The seating is quite spacious and comfortable, following standard Japanese yakiniku arrangements, offering both grilled meat and hot pot options.
We ordered an A5 Wagyu assorted platter featuring four types of meat. However, one type was excessively fatty, and since the grilling is entirely self-service, there’s a chance you might overcook or undercook it, affecting the taste. Overall, though, the meat quality was excellent—even casually grilling resulted in delicious flavors.
Beef sushi was also a first-time experience for me, offering a truly unique sensation.
Their stone bowl bibimbap also features raw beef.
I had originally planned to return for their hot pot on my way back, but the wait time was too long, so I didn’t manage it. Bus services back to Toyama are relatively infrequent, so be sure to check the schedule carefully to avoid missing your bus—if you do miss it, you could end up waiting several hours.
After eating, we walked to Takayama Jinya, passing Miyagawa Morning Market and Sanmachi Suji (Old Town) along the way. Since morning markets typically wrap up by noon, we just strolled around casually. Small-town Japan offers charming scenery, and many shops along the street sell products related to Hida beef.
Takayama Jinya served as the administrative office established by the Edo Shogunate to govern Hida Province as direct shogunal territory, functioning as both the Daikan-sho (magistrate’s office) and the Hida Gun-dai Yakusho (district governor’s office).
In 1692, the Kanamori clan, who had previously ruled Hida, were ordered by the Edo Shogunate to relocate to Dewa-Kaminoyama (present-day Yamagata and Akita prefectures). In the same year, the Edo Shogunate incorporated Hida into its direct domain and set up government offices at Takayama Jinya. To administer Hida, the shogunate appointed daikan (from the 12th appointee onward, titled gun-dai) responsible for administrative, police, and judicial affairs. After the Meiji Restoration, the Jinya became the Takayama Branch Office of Chikuma Prefecture (later the Takayama Branch Office of Gifu Prefecture). In 1929, Takayama Jinya was designated a National Historic Site, yet continued to be used by governmental agencies. Following the relocation of the prefectural office in 1969, Takayama Jinya—the only surviving jinya in Japan—was preserved as a cultural asset. In March 1996 (Heisei 8), based on drawings from 1830 (Tenpo 1), structures such as the Kura-ban Nagaya (storehouse guard quarters), Gun-dai Residence, and Oku-zashiki (inner chambers) were restored, recreating the appearance of the Edo period. Of the more than 60 daikan and gun-dai offices that existed nationwide toward the end of the shogunate era, only Takayama Jinya has retained its original main buildings intact today.
The Grand Hall is a shoin-style hall used for important ceremonies held at the beginning of the year and throughout the year. Comprising three connected rooms totaling 49 tatami mats in size, it is the largest room in Takayama Jinya. From its corridor, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the garden as it changes with each season.
Office and Kitchen
The outer garden is beautifully landscaped.
The storehouses were used to store rice collected as land taxes from nearby villages. Immediately after Hida became direct shogunal territory in 1695, these storehouses were relocated from the San-no-Maru enclosure of Takayama Castle to their present site. Originally constructed around 1600 within the San-no-Maru, they are recognized as the oldest and largest surviving Edo-period storehouses in Japan. Their distinctive wooden-shingle roofs are built using a traditional method called “ishi-bo-kibane,” which secures wooden boards without nails, instead employing wooden sticks and stones to hold them in place. The roofing material traditionally uses Japanese cypress family black cypress (hinoki), prized for its high oil content and excellent water resistance. (In recent years, hiba cypress or cedar have also been used.) Every five years, the roof boards are flipped inside-out and top-to-bottom—a practice maintained consistently over twenty years—to maximize the natural durability and characteristics of the wood.
Today, the storehouses have been converted into museum-like exhibition spaces displaying various historical artifacts.
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