Hida Kotte Ushi

Hida Kotte Ushi offers the luxurious Hida Beef (飛騨牛, Hida Gyū) in the form of a nigiri zushi (握り寿司, Hand-pressed Sushi) so as to be able to provide the expensive high-quality ingredients at a wallet-friendly affordable price.

They only use certified Grade A5 (A5級, Ei-go-kyū) Hida Beef, cut to order to prevent any loss in quality.

The senbei (煎餅, Rice cracker) are carefully handmade by an obāchan (お婆ちゃん, Obāchan) in the Ise-style, with ebi (海老, Prawn) and aosa (石蓴, Sea lettuce). Made to be gentle on the tastebuds, so as not to cleanse the palate after eating the nigiri.

The rice uses a Hida Region (飛騨, Hida) produced brand called Hitomebore (ひとめぼれ). Hitomebore is similar to Sasa-nishiki (ササニシキ), said to be the most suitable rice for making sushi (寿司).

The salt used is a blend of Noto Peninsula (能登半島, Noto-hantō)-produced charcoal salt, and Italian-produced rock salt.

The shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce) dare (たれ, Sauce) is produced in-house, brewed to produce a well-rounded taste to complement the beef.

If you're in Takayama, the one dish that you absolutely have to try is the Hida Beef Nigiri Sushi from Hida Kotte Ushi. We give it full marks for its deliciousness, how aesthetically pleasing it is, how unique it is, and also how relatively affordable it is. While the dish might be somewhat overhyped, and it might not be the most amazing thing that you have ever tasted, we still believe it to be well worth trying at least once. If you find that the queue at Hida Kotte Ushi is too long, there's actually a competing store just opposite that sells the same Hida Beef Sushi and usually has a shorter queue. While we can't attest that the quality between the two shops is exactly the same, at the very least there's an option to try out this amazing local dish with a shorter queue.

We do recommend splurging a little bit for the higher-end Hida Beef Toro Nigiri Zushi which is fattier and has a nicer melt-in-your-mouth texture as well as umami (旨味, Savoriness) to it. The beef is nice and soft, and it has a natural sweetness to it that is enhanced by the tare (たれ, Sauce) and then contrasted by the pungency of the wasabi (山葵). It's an amazing gastronomic experience, and it can really redefine what beef can taste like. The sushi rice (酢飯, Su-Meshi, Vinegared Rice) also helps to add a good contrast to the dish, with its vinegar seasoning helping to cut through the richness and add a satisfying aftertaste to the dish.

We also highly recommend getting the Three Types of Hida Beef Sushi Platter that comes with Hida Beef Sushi done three ways. The Japanese love the concept of tabe-kurabe (食べ比べ), to eat the same dish done in different ways, so that you can appreciate the contrast of each, and also discover which is to your own personal tastes and liking. For this Three Types of Hida Beef Platter, you get one Hida Beef Nigiri Zushi (握り寿司, Hand-pressed Sushi) with just salt and pepper, one Hida Beef Nigiri Zushi with shoga (生姜, Shōga, Ginger) and shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce), and one Hida Beef Gunkan Sushi (軍艦寿司). The Hida Beef Nigiri Zushi with just salt and pepper should be eaten first, letting the salt and pepper bring out the natural taste of the Hida Beef without overwhelming it. Then the Hida Beef Nigiri Zushi with shoga and shoyu should be eaten next, allowing you to experience how the condiments can complement and contrast the taste of the Hida Beef. Then, the Hida Beef Gunkan Sushi should be eaten last as it is the most heavily and richly seasoned. The Hida Beef Gunkan Sushi comes with diced up Hida Beef, topped with egg yolk, a slice of onion, and a shibikara (シビから, Numbing Spiciness) tare (たれ, Sauce) that really ups the ante, and is like a flavour explosion in your mouth, with the spiciness of the tare hitting you, the gooey richness of the egg yolk bursting, and the chunky Hida Beef with the rice. The Three Types of Hida Beef Sushi Platter really allows you to have a three-course gastronomic experience from atop a single senbei.

Hida Kotte Ushi is one of the Best Hida Beef Street Foods in Takayama and one of the best ways to experience Hida Beef in a variety of ways. It's also one of the most instagrammable and aesthetic foods that you'll find in the area, and definitely a bucket list item in Takayama. That being said, we personally have our own street food that we feel tops this in terms of satisfaction. If you walk down the street, you're bound to stumble onto some Hida Beef Skewer shops, and if you go for the higher-end ones, you'll be drooling over how juicy the chunks of meat on the skewers are. So the moral of the story is, there's really plenty of Hida Beef delicacies to be discovered in Takayama, so don't miss out!