Protected local food
Takayama Kyuri
高山きゅうり
A giant heirloom cucumber from Takayama, a mountain village in Gunma. It is three to four times the size of a normal cucumber, pale green and crisp.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 18 March 2025
- Region
- Kanto
- Official name in Japanese
- 高山きゅうり
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 群馬県吾妻郡高山村
A giant, pale cucumber
Takayama kyuri is three to four times the size of an ordinary cucumber, pale yellow-green with a whitish bloom on the skin. It has little of the usual grassy smell. Raw it is crisp, and unlike most cucumbers it stays juicy with a pleasant texture when stir-fried.
A mountain heirloom
This is Takayama village in Gunma, not the better-known Takayama in Gifu. Its hamlets sit among 1,000-metre peaks, and villagers have grown this native cucumber for more than 150 years. It goes into local dishes such as hiyajiru, a cold soup, and takiyose, a platter of simmered vegetables, and into school lunches.
Worth the drive
People drive a long way to buy it, and it is now sold across Japan through supermarkets and home delivery.
Good to know
- Takayama village is home to the Gunma Astronomical Observatory, which has one of Japan's largest public telescopes.
- Summer is cucumber season. Try it in a simple stir-fry or pickled.
Questions travellers ask
Is this the Takayama in Gifu?
No. It is Takayama village in Agatsuma, Gunma, in the mountains northwest of Tokyo.
When is it in season?
In summer, roughly July to September.
Where it comes from
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.