Hira Sansō began in 1959 as a mountain hut, built by the grandfather of the present master for climbers bound into the Hira range. It stands before the gates of Myōō-in temple and its shrine, in the village of Bomura on the Saba Kaidō — the old mackerel road from the sea to Kyoto. The second generation turned the hut toward cuisine with summer ayu; Itō Takeharu, the third, trained in Kyoto and took over in 1998. He calls what the house serves yama no be ryōri — mountain-side cuisine worth traveling for — and it has earned the agriculture ministry's Ryōri Masters bronze, The Tabelog Award 2026 Silver, and a place in the Japanese Cuisine WEST Hyakumeiten 2025.
The moon hotpot
From mid-November to the end of March the house serves tsuki-nabe, the moon hotpot: wild Asian black bear, taken by a small circle of local hunters whose guild the master calls his greatest task to keep alive. He holds bear to be "the purest and finest of all meats"; the sweetness sits in the fat. From ¥30,000, tax and 15% service separate — in practice ¥40,000 and up. One variant cooks the bear in a broth of Lake Biwa soft-shelled turtle: moon and suppon in one pot. Hattori Yukio has named it the dish he would choose for his last supper.
The turning year
In spring the bear meets wild pepper blossoms in the hanazanshō hotpot, from ¥37,000; May and June bring a junsai hotpot at the same mark. Summer is the ayu course from ¥30,000 — the river runs before the house. Autumn is yama-no-be kaiseki from ¥30,000, and grilled matsutake at ¥60,000–90,000 by the market. The accessible door is the chair-seated ayu manpuku zen from ¥8,000, at 11:00 and 13:00, summer through autumn.
The book
The phone (077-599-2058) is the main road. The book opens at 10:00, three months ahead to the day; winter bear dates go to whoever's redial lands — hundreds of attempts have been reported. Cancellation after booking is effectively not accepted; plans must be firm before the call. Our desk dials at opening. We promise the attempt, not the seat.
