Restaurant in Gifu, Japan
Tabelog-awarded Hida cuisine; book two days ahead.

Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana is a Tabelog Bronze Award winner (2024–2026) serving seasonal regional Japanese cuisine in Takayama, with private rooms for groups of 2–20 and a counter for solo diners. Budget JPY 15,000–20,000 per head for lunch or dinner. Book at least two days ahead — the kitchen procures to order and walk-ins are not accepted.
Yes — and more specifically, it is one of the strongest arguments for spending a meal budget in Takayama rather than saving it for Kyoto or Tokyo. Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana holds a Tabelog score of 3.93, has won the Tabelog Bronze Award three consecutive years running (2024, 2025, 2026), and was selected for the Tabelog Japanese Cuisine EAST "Top 100" in 2021. For a regional kaiseki restaurant in a mountain city, that is a serious credential. Budget around JPY 15,000–20,000 per head for lunch or dinner, with some reviewers reporting dinner spend closer to JPY 20,000–30,000 once drinks are added. Book at least two days ahead — the kitchen procures to order, so walk-ins are not an option.
Sakana's layout is the practical reason to consider it over other Takayama options. With 30 seats spread across a counter (8 seats), a horikotatsu-style Japanese-room private room (8 seats), a second-floor private room (5 seats), and a detached private room (8 seats), the restaurant functions less like a single dining room and more like a collection of distinct environments. For groups of two to eight, private room availability is strong. For groups of up to 20, full private hire is possible , contact the restaurant directly, as certain course configurations are restricted for larger parties.
If you have been once and sat at the counter, consider requesting one of the tatami rooms next time. The horikotatsu seating , a traditional sunken floor arrangement , changes the cadence of a meal considerably and is not something you will find at most Takayama restaurants operating at this price point. The second-floor private room suits a business dinner or a small group wanting total separation from other tables. The detached room, set apart from the main building, is the strongest option for a celebration where privacy matters.
The kitchen's emphasis is seasonal Hida cuisine, with a specific focus on fish , notable given Takayama's landlocked position deep in the Japan Alps. The restaurant describes itself as "particular about fish," which in this context means sourcing from outside the region with the same deliberateness that a coastal kaiseki kitchen would apply to local catch. An English-language menu is available, which makes Sakana more accessible than many comparable restaurants in the area. Drinks lean toward sake and shochu, with wine also available; the programme is taken seriously on all three fronts.
Opening hours run daily, lunch 12:00–15:00 and dinner 17:30–21:30. The restaurant closes December 27–30 for New Year's preparation, reopening December 31. Closing days are not fixed, so confirm before booking. Parking is available on site, which matters if you are staying outside central Takayama. The venue is approximately 8 minutes by car from JR Takayama Station. Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard), electronic money, and QR payments (PayPay, au PAY) are all accepted. No smoking inside; a rock garden area is designated for smokers.
Children are welcome at lunch if the restaurant is not otherwise fully booked; evening sessions are adults-preferred. For a family visiting Takayama during a quieter weekday, calling ahead to confirm lunchtime availability with children is worth the effort.
For context on where Sakana sits in the broader award landscape, comparable seasonal Japanese cuisine restaurants at the Tabelog Bronze tier include Gion Sasaki in Kyoto and Harutaka in Tokyo, both of which operate at higher price points in far more competitive booking environments. Getting a table at Sakana is considerably easier than either. If you are building a Japan itinerary and want serious regional Japanese cuisine without the two-month booking lead time that Tokyo or Kyoto equivalents demand, Sakana fits that gap well. See also Goh in Fukuoka and akordu in Nara for comparable regional ambition at different points on the Japanese culinary map.
Planning more of your trip: our full Gifu hotels guide, bars in Gifu, Gifu wineries, and experiences in Gifu. For Japanese cuisine at the highest tier elsewhere in Japan, see HAJIME in Osaka, 1000 in Yokohama, and Atomix in New York City for a sense of how regional Japanese cooking translates internationally. Le Bernardin in New York City is the reference point for fish-focused fine dining at the global level, useful context for understanding what Sakana's fish-focused commitment means in a kaiseki framework. Mizuki is worth considering if you are looking for additional Gifu dining options in a different format.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sakana | {"Year":"2026","Award Source":"Tabelog","Award Type":"The Tabelog Award","Award Group":"bronze","Award Group Rank":"382","Restaurant Name":"Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana","Score":"3.93","Budget":"Dinner: JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999; Lunch: JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999","Budget Dinner":"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999","Budget Lunch":"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999","Price":"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999 JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999","Average Price":"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999 JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999","Average Price (Based on reviews)":"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999 JPY 20,000 - JPY 29,999 View spending breakdown","Featured Item":"N/A","Full Address (with ZIP)":"岐阜県高山市越後町1126-1, 5060033, Japan","Address":"岐阜県高山市越後町1126-1","Postal Code":"5060033","City":"Echigomachi Takayama Gifu","State":"Gifu","Country":"Japan","Phone":"+81577361288","Phone Raw":"+81-577-36-1288","Website":"","Description":"Check out Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana (Takayama/Regional Cuisine、Japanese Cuisine、Steak) on Tabelog! A Hidden Gem for Food Lovers in the Suburbs of Takayama, Hida - Reservation Required for Lunch and Dinner! [Private rooms available / No Smoking] Discover Japanese restaurants featuring detailed information such as menus and maps, along with user-posted reviews, ratings, and photos!","Categories":"Regional Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Steak","Awards & Recognitions":"The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze winner Selected for Tabelog Japanese cuisine EAST \"Tabelog 100\" 2021 Selected for Tabelog Japanese cuisine EAST \"Tabelog 100\" 2021 受賞・選出歴 閉じる The Tabelog Award 受賞歴 2026年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze 受賞店 2025年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze 受賞店 2024年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze 受賞店 百名店 選出歴 日本料理 百名店 2021 選出店 食べログ 日本料理 EAST 百名店 2021 選出店","Reservation availability":"Reservation only Please make your reservation at least two days in advance due to procurement reasons. For reservations exceeding eight guests, there may be certain course meals or seating arrangements that are not available, so please feel free to contact our staff for any inquiries. We will not be accepting reservations from December 27th to 30th due to preparations for New Year's dishes. We will resume normal operations from December 31st.","Business hours":"Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 15:00 17:30 - 21:30 ■Closed on Reservations required for lunch and dinner. Not fixed.","Payment methods":"Credit card accepted (VISA, Master) Electronic money accepted QR code payments accepted (PayPay, au PAY)","Private rooms":"Available For 2 people, For 4 people, For 6 people, For 8 people We have counter seats, second floor seats, Japanese-style rooms, and detached rooms, so please feel free to contact us for details.","Non-smoking/smoking":"Non smoking You can smoke at the entrance and in the rock garden!","Number of seats":"30 seats ( 8 seats at the counter, 8 seats at a table in a pure Japanese-style Horikotatsu-style private room, 5 seats at a table in a private room on the second floor, and 8 seats in a separate private room.)","Private use":"Available For up to 20 people","Parking":"Available","Space/facilities":"Stylish space, Relaxing space, Spacious seating, Counter seating, Tatami room, Sunken seating, Free Wi-Fi available","Drink":"Sake (Nihonshu), Shochu (Japanese spirits), Wine, Particular about Sake (Nihonshu), Particular about Shochu (Japanese spirits), Particular about wine","Food":"Particular about fish","Service":"Multilingual menu available(English)","Family friendly":"Children welcome(School-age children welcome) We generally ask that children refrain from attending during the evening sessions. However, if there are no other reservations during the daytime, it is possible to bring children, so please feel free to contact us.","Service charge & fee":"N/A","Dress code":"N/A","Maximum party size":"N/A","Location":"Beautiful view, Night view, Hideout, A house restaurant","Occasion":"Family friendly | Business | Friends This occasion is recommended by many people.","Remarks":"N/A","The opening day":"2011.4.17","Receipt (Qualified simple invoice)":"N/A","Latitude":"36.12222503682763","Longitude":"137.2451794894444","Primary Image URL":"","Image URL Count":"20","Image URLs":"","Restaurant ID":"21010387","Source URL":"","Raw Details JSON":"{\"Restaurant name\":\"Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana\",\"Awards & Recognitions\":\"The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze winner The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze winner Selected for Tabelog Japanese cuisine EAST \\\"Tabelog 100\\\" 2021 Selected for Tabelog Japanese cuisine EAST \\\"Tabelog 100\\\" 2021 受賞・選出歴 閉じる The Tabelog Award 受賞歴 2026年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze 受賞店 2025年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2025 Bronze 受賞店 2024年Bronze受賞店 The Tabelog Award 2024 Bronze 受賞店 百名店 選出歴 日本料理 百名店 2021 選出店 食べログ 日本料理 EAST 百名店 2021 選出店\",\"Categories\":\"Regional Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Steak\",\"Phone number (for reservation and inquiry)\":\"050-5868-3781\",\"Reservation availability\":\"Reservation only Please make your reservation at least two days in advance due to procurement reasons. For reservations exceeding eight guests, there may be certain course meals or seating arrangements that are not available, so please feel free to contact our staff for any inquiries. We will not be accepting reservations from December 27th to 30th due to preparations for New Year's dishes. We will resume normal operations from December 31st.\",\"Address\":\"岐阜県高山市越後町1126-1 Show larger map Find nearby restaurants Transportation - 8 minutes by car from JR Takayama Station - 3 minutes on foot from Hotel Associa Resort - 10 minutes by car from Chubu Jukan Expressway Takayama IC 2,165 meters from Takayama.\",\"Business hours\":\"Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 15:00 17:30 - 21:30 ■Closed on Reservations required for lunch and dinner. Not fixed.\",\"Average price\":\"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999 JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999\",\"Average price (Based on reviews)\":\"JPY 15,000 - JPY 19,999 JPY 20,000 - JPY 29,999 View spending breakdown\",\"Payment methods\":\"Credit card accepted (VISA, Master) Electronic money accepted QR code payments accepted (PayPay, au PAY)\",\"Number of seats\":\"30 seats ( 8 seats at the counter, 8 seats at a table in a pure Japanese-style Horikotatsu-style private room, 5 seats at a table in a private room on the second floor, and 8 seats in a separate private room.)\",\"Private rooms\":\"Available For 2 people, For 4 people, For 6 people, For 8 people We have counter seats, second floor seats, Japanese-style rooms, and detached rooms, so please feel free to contact us for details.\",\"Private use\":\"Available For up to 20 people\",\"Non-smoking/smoking\":\"Non smoking You can smoke at the entrance and in the rock garden!\",\"Parking\":\"Available\",\"Space/facilities\":\"Stylish space, Relaxing space, Spacious seating, Counter seating, Tatami room, Sunken seating, Free Wi-Fi available\",\"Drink\":\"Sake (Nihonshu), Shochu (Japanese spirits), Wine, Particular about Sake (Nihonshu), Particular about Shochu (Japanese spirits), Particular about wine\",\"Food\":\"Particular about fish\",\"Occasion\":\"Family friendly | Business | Friends This occasion is recommended by many people.\",\"Location\":\"Beautiful view, Night view, Hideout, A house restaurant\",\"Service\":\"Multilingual menu available(English)\",\"Family friendly\":\"Children welcome(School-age children welcome) We generally ask that children refrain from attending during the evening sessions. However, if there are no other reservations during the daytime, it is possible to bring children, so please feel free to contact us.\",\"Website\":\"",\"The opening day\":\"2011.4.17\",\"Phone number\":\"0577-36-1288\"}","Matched Location ID":"e1c1ae53-355f-4883-8318-236eedf52ed3","Match Status":"matched","Match Method":"award_page_url_exact","Match Confidence":"high","Matched On URL":"","Matched DB Name":"Sakana","Matched DB Address":"Gifu 高山 City越後 Town 11261","Needs Review":"no","Review Reason":"","Fallback Score":"","Fallback Name Sim":"","Fallback Addr Sim":"","Fallback Loc Sim":"","Fallback City Sim":"","Fallback Country Sim":"","Fallback Phone Match":"","Fallback Domain Match":"","Fallback Explanation":""}; Tabelog Bronze Award 2025 Score: 3.91 Cuisine: Japanese Cuisine / Gifu Phone: 050-5868-3781 Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 15:00 17:30 - 21:30 Address: Gifu 高山 City越後 Town 11261 Tabelog: | — | |
| Yanagiya | — | ||
| Belle Equipe | JPY 10,000 - JPY 14,999 JPY 2,000 - JPY 2,999 | — | |
| hiro | — | ||
| Katatsumuri | — | ||
| Kobanzushi | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes, up to 20 people for a private buyout. The 30-seat layout includes a detached private room for up to 8, a second-floor private room for 5, and a horikotatsu-style Japanese room for 8. Groups over 8 should check the venue's official channels, as certain course formats or seating configurations may not be available at that size.
There are 8 counter seats available, so yes — counter dining is an option here. Book it if you prefer a more direct view of preparation and want a less formal feel than the tatami rooms. Given the reservation-only policy (at least two days in advance), you should specify counter preference when booking.
The venue data does not specify a dress code. Given the Tabelog Bronze recognition and a price point of JPY 15,000–20,000 per head, smart casual is a reasonable baseline — neat clothing that fits a considered dinner, not a formal gown or suit. The tatami and horikotatsu-style rooms mean you will likely need to remove shoes.
Within the Takayama area, Yanagiya and Katatsumuri both operate in the Hida regional cuisine space and are worth comparing on format and price. Sakana's edge is its three consecutive Tabelog Bronze wins (2024–2026) and Tabelog 100 selection, which signals consistent peer recognition across multiple years rather than a single standout season.
Yes — the combination of private rooms (available for 2, 4, 6, or 8 people), a price point of JPY 15,000–20,000 per head, and three years of Tabelog Bronze recognition makes this a credible choice for a milestone dinner in Takayama. Lunch and dinner pricing are comparable, so a daytime booking works equally well if you want the full experience with more flexibility on children or timing.
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 15:00 17:30 - 21:30
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