High to Low: A Culinary Journey Across Toyama’s 4,000 Meters of Flavor

In the Gassho-style villages of Gokayama, a UNESCO World Heritage site, one treat you definitely don’t want to miss is Gokayama tofu. Made with pristine spring water drawn from 1,000 meters up the surrounding mountains and local soybeans, Gokayama tofu is famously firm, the kind locals joke you could use as a pillow or stub a toe on. That density means concentrated flavor: sweet, nutty, and unmistakably of the mountains.

At Gorobei, a 170-year-old gassho home turned family-run restaurant, tofu takes the spotlight in a four-part performance. Sashimi-style slices highlight its natural creaminess; deep-fried cubes offer a nutty crunch; miso-glazed wedges grill atop magnolia leaves (a traditional surface for grilling), releasing earthy aromas; and simmered tofu mingles with mountain vegetables in a hearty broth. Each method reveals a different personality—mild and silky, crisp and savory, smoky and sweet.

Gorobei

Address: Suganuma 906, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture

Hours: 10:00–17:00 (extended by reservation)

Closed: Irregular

Access: 

・Take the World Heritage Bus from JR Jōhana Line Jōhana Station, get off at “Suganuma”

・Take the World Heritage Bus from JR Takaoka Station, get off at “Suganuma”

Website: https://www.goro-bei.com/index.html

While Toyama is famous for seafood such as yellowtail and white shrimp, its hills produce another prize: Himi beef. Raised in the green folds of Himi’s inland valleys, this black-haired wagyu earns its reputation for exceptional marbling and buttery tenderness. Only about 600 cattle are raised at any given time, making it a rarity even in its hometown—and a treat worth seeking out.

At Gyuya Toyama, just steps from Toyama Station, the lunchtime Himi Sanmai Gozen set makes an ideal introduction. Three premium cuts—rosu (loin), karubi (short rib), and akami (lean red meat)—are grilled tableside, each bite delivering a delicate balance of savory depth and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The meal rounds out with rice, miso soup, a crisp salad topped with soft-poached egg and ground beef, and a small dessert, making it as comforting as it is indulgent. For the adventurous, there’s also wagyu sushi, lightly seared to unlock its aroma. Whether you’re arriving in Toyama or about to depart, this is a taste of local luxury that doesn’t require a detour to Himi itself.

Himi Gyuya 

Main Store

Address: 1-41 Asahigaoka, Himi City, Toyama Prefecture

Hours: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM (Last Order 2:00 PM) / 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM (Last Order 10:00 PM)

Closed: Thursdays

Access: 5-minute walk from JR Himi Line Himi Station

URL: https://gyu-ya.com/shop/himi-gyuya-main-shop/

Toyama Store (Featured Restaurant)

Address: Merinchho 1-220, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture

Hours: 11:00–15:00 (L.O. 14:30), 17:00–22:30 (L.O. 22:00)

Closed: None

Access: Directly connected to JR Toyama Station

Website:https://gyu-ya.com/shop/himi-gyuya-toyama-shop/

Some dishes announce themselves with scent before sight. One of Toyama’s soul foods is motsu nikomi udon. The special broth, carefully simmered with the umami of four types of seafood and kelp, has a smooth yet rich depth of flavor. Into it go hand-stretched Himi udon noodles—springy and mochi-like—and tender pork offal that’s been meticulously cleaned and stewed until it yields at the touch.　Motsu may not be for everyone at first glance, but here it’s soft, rich, and nourishing, absorbing the broth’s complex flavors.

These dishes have been served at Itoshou, a specialist in motsu nikomi udon (hot pot udon with stewed offal) since 1972, and are eaten steaming hot at the counter while the kitchen juggles a dozen boiling pots. In winter, lines stretch more than an hour for the warmth of this dish, eaten steaming hot at the counter while the kitchen juggles a dozen boiling pots. The Takaoka branch adds a tomato-based version, the Toma-Chino, bright with acidity yet still carrying the signature garlic punch—a reminder that even tradition leaves room for play.

Itoshou

Main Store

Address: 1-7-6 Taromaru-honmachi, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture

Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Last Order 3:00 PM) / 5:00 PM – 10:30 PM (Last Order 10:00 PM)

Closed: Tuesdays (Open on Tuesdays if it is a national holiday; closed the following Wednesday instead)

Access: 8-minute walk from Nishinakano tram stop on the Toyama City Tram Line

Takaoka Store (Featured Restaurant)

Address: Takaramachi 2-5, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture 

Hours: 11:00～21:00

Closed: Thursday

Access:3-minute walk from Manyō Line Shikino Junior High School Station

Website: https://www.itoshou.com/

There is a local burger that lets you casually enjoy the rich seafood of Toyama Bay. The white shrimp burger is the longtime star, featuring the “jewel of Toyama Bay” lightly fried for a crisp bite that gives way to sweet, almost creamy flesh.

In recent years, the sakuramasu (cherry trout or cherry salmon) burger has been quietly stealing the spotlight.

Using fish caught nearby, the sakuramasu is fried to a delicate crunch, layered with local vegetables, and finished with a tangy, refreshing sauce that keeps each bite light. It makes a convincing argument for burgers as a form of regional cuisine. The roadside station’s food court offers plenty of other white shrimp creations, but for something less expected, the sakuramasu burger is a fresh-faced contender

Come On Park Shinminato

*Renamed "Michi-no-Eki Marugoto Imizu" after reopening on November 21
Address: 301 Kaganomiya, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture

Hours: Varies by facility

Access:・Take the Manyō Line and get off at Nakashinminato-mae.

　　　・Transfer to the Shinminato City Hall / Hone Line community bus and get off at Shinminato Museum-mae.

Website:https://shinminato.co.jp/

*Currently under renovation. Please visit the official website for the latest updates.

In highland Toyama, preserved foods have always been essential, and few ingredients are as central—or as versatile—as kombu (kelp). Introduced centuries ago via the Kitamaebune shipping routes from Hokkaido, it became so embedded in local cooking that Toyama now leads Japan in kombu consumption. Once used mainly to preserve fish,  kombu can now be enjoyed as the centerpiece of new dishes, continuing to attract attention today.
 

At Craftan in Takaoka, kombu-shime (kombu-cured) isn’t limited to sashimi-grade fish.　

The set menu might include vegetables cured until they take on a gentle marine sweetness, tender chicken infused with kelp umami, or even kombu-cured roast beef. Each dish is paired with iri-zake (a seasoning of simmered sake, plum, and Katsuoboshi), which enhances without overpowering.

At Craftan, a single meal lets you experience the allure of food, history, and tradition. Kombu dishes, born from old preservation techniques, are now enjoyed with the refined flavors of modern cuisine.

Craftan

Address: Komachidashi 6 (Yamacho Valley), Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture

Hours: 11:30–14:00; 18:00–22:00 (dinner by reservation only)

Closed: None

Access:13-minute walk from JR Takaoka Station

Website: https://craftan.jp/

Toyama’s food is a vertical tapestry of flavors woven from altitude, climate, and history. In the high mountain hamlets, tofu and freshwater fish speak to self-sufficiency and patience; in the valleys, rich wagyu reflects careful stewardship of the land; along the coast, seafood finds its way into unexpected forms, from steaming udon to burgers that taste like the sea breeze. And binding it all together are traditions like kombu-shime, whose quiet complexity tells a story of resourcefulness and respect for ingredients.

Here, every bite is both a taste of place and a glimpse into the ingenuity of the people who’ve made this landscape home. Whether your journey starts at sea level or in the shadows of the peaks, Toyama’s 4,000 meters of flavor promise to carry you the rest of the way.