Oishii! – Japan Day 06

December 23, 2017 JZ

Our final day in Osaka was in order. Today, we would be taking the train towards Takayama on the Hida 25. This small train takes us to the quaint and small town of Takayama, which is known for one thing throughout our family, being home to the best beef out of everywhere in the world. But before we got there, we had to take a morning train which would be a few hours away. This was a perfect time for us to catch up on even more sleep and to get one of those cute bento sets before we went on the train ride. I love Japan.

The train was comfortable, offering a large amount of legroom and headroom, and took us on a long trip of Japan, from the bustling, busy skyscrapers of Osaka, and slowly but surely showing us more and more of the outskirts of the city, and then to the amazing wilderness of rural Japan.

Soon, we arrived at Takayama, all around us was snow, but the weather seemed to be with us as the temperature went above zero for the days we were in Takayama. It was almost as if the experience was fated to happen. Upon our reaching of Takayama, we put down our bags at Country Hotel, the small hotel we would be staying at and immediately went for lunch. Everywhere we went there were proud displays of Hida beef, and the cattle that they raise. The town was very proud of their beef and the cows that they raise. And after the lunch we had, we can really understand why.
(Restaurant name is Hidagyu Maruaki – 6 Chome-8 Tenmanmachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0025, Japan)

The meat we had was simply divine. The meat seemed to melt in our mouths with the amount of marbling that they had, and it was so tender and flavourful that it blew everything I knew about beef away. It was simply that good, and at half the price of other beef cuts that we had before on this trip. However, this was simply the start of the Hida Beef adventure we were going to experience.

After lunch, we headed to the old town, where we toured the various shops selling many different kinds of items and food. Most interesting to us is of course the food made with Hida beef. First up we tried the Hida beef sushi, which was also amazing. Served with little bits of wasabit on top, they were like flavour bombs, exploding in your mouth.

Also here, I found one of my favourite things ever. A Hida Beef pau, made with real hida beef inside. It was simply amazing, sweet and chewy and equally tender meat, the bun was also soft and warm. It was quite a snack for these kinds of temperatures.

Back at the hotel, we decided to check in before heading to dinner. It was a small hotel, and a lot more cramped than the nice Osaka one we were just in. However, it was expected, and a small price to pay for such a great stop-over. Plus, there was a family mart integrated into the hotel. It was great.

For dinner, we headed to another restaurant which served Hida Beef in Shabu-Shabu style. It was only about 4.30pm and already dark as midnight outside, and equally cold. We were all very excited to get into the heated room, where we awaited dinner.
(Restaurant Name is Suzuya Restaurant – 24 Hanakawamachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0015, Japan)

Inside, we tucked in for dinner. I had a drink called Kirin Lemon, which was apparently just a Lemon soda, but I could not find it anywhere else. It will soon become my own personal mission to find another time to consume the drink. As for the food, we had both the Shabu-Shabu and then the normal grilled style of Hida beef. We love every single dish, and learnt that a raw egg is mixed into the broth in Japan. We will then use the same method in Singapore for our own steamboats in the future.