Recommended Restaurants
Kobe, Matsusaka an Omi beef — Kansai raises and grills some of the best wagyu in Japan.
Explore the region’s best restaurants serving world-class meat.
Explore the region’s best restaurants serving world-class meat.
食事付き
Discover Wagyu & Yakiniku
Learn what makes Japan's wagyu and yakiniku so unique and delicious.
What is wagyu?
Deliciously tender and intricately marbled, wagyu (literally meaning "Japanese cow") refers to four specific breeds of cattle native to Japan: Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn and Japanese Polled. Among them, the Japanese Black is the most prized and popular, known for its kuchidoke — a melt-in-your-mouth sensation — and tsuya-sashi, or "glossy marbling.” The meat boasts a buttery, silken texture thanks to its finely interwoven fat rich. Japan’s “great three” wagyu brands, Matsusaka, Kobe and Omi beef, all hail from the Kansai region.
What is yakiniku?
Yakiniku, meaning "grilled meat," is a Japanese-style barbecue where meat is cooked over a charcoal grill or gas griddle on mesh or iron plates. The meat can be seasoned with salt (shioyaki) or a sweet sauce known as tare (tareyaki). Wagyu, particularly Japanese Black (kuroge wagyu), is often featured in yakiniku. Grilling takes place at the table by yourself, making it both a hands-on and communal experience shared between friends and families.
See Wagyu in Action
Watch our videos to uncover the flavors and story behind Japan’s finest beef.
The Journey of Japanese Wagyu
Osaka's Best Street Food
Can Wagyu be Affordable?
300+
types of wagyu brands across Japan
29,000+
yakiniku restaurants nationwide — 4,000 of them operating in Kansai
60+
cuts from a single wagyu, served in order of excellence
What People Are Saying
See the sizzling excitement of Japan’s favorite grilled meat through the lens of our creators.
Mr.Sasuke
Japan by Food
Japan by Food