Trying Wagyu Beef With Shizuka Anderson

Continuing our food adventure video series with Sonny from the Best Ever Food Review Show, this time we're exploring the wonderful world of Japanese wagyu beef! Wagyu, literally translating to "Japanese beef" is one of the prize culinary possessions of Japan. Recognizable by its beautiful marbling of crimson and white, the texture of wagyu beef is finer than other types of beef, with a rich fattiness that literally melts in the mouth.

You might wonder, what exactly is so special about wagyu beef? For the answer, we need to go back 2,000 years, when cattle first started being used for labor, the role of natural selection increasing the cattle's physical capabilities over the years. The cattle that we now know as wagyu cattle are descended from those draught cattle, which were bred for strength, high endurance, and unflagging energy. Physically, these characteristics manifested in wagyu beef as that web-like marbling of fat.

However, meat wasn't always a part of the Japanese diet. In fact, before the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s Buddhist leaders banned the eating of meat, particularly cattle. Then, when the Meiji Restoration began a period of modernization and Westernization, the ban was lifted and wagyu made its first tentative steps into the world of Japanese cuisine. Wagyu cattle which was shipped from Kobe to the port city of Yokohama, just outside of Tokyo, gained immense popularity with foreigners. This beef became known as, what else, Kobe beef!

So, while wagyu beef is bred and raised in Japan, the inclusion of it in Japanese cuisine is actually a symbol of Western influence upon Japanese customs, marking a major turning point in Japanese history. 

Of course, nobody cooks meat like the Japanese. And sometimes, as you'll see in the video, the meat isn't even cooked (wagyu sashimi, anyone?). In addition to wagyu sashimi, Sonny and his friend Shizuka, try three other styles of wagyu beef, like yakiniku-style grilled beef with a slightly smoky flavor and tender, buttery texture. Sukiyaki is next, a style of hotpot in which meat, veggies and tofu are cooked right at the table in a large pot, then dipped into raw egg before eating, lending a creaminess to the thinly-sliced meats.

Lastly, Sonny and Shizuka have front-row seats as the chef cooks up a multi-course meal for just the two of them. However, the chef is not the entertainment; the real star of the show is the Kitasasuma wagyu beef from Kagoshima, which is served rare with freshly-grated wasabi for a spicy kick that cuts through the fattiness of the beef.

Watch as Shizuka tastes the most kawaii foods in Harajuku or dives into the Japanese street food scene in Ameya Yokocho!

To explore the depths of flavor waiting to be found in Tokyo, browse our guide to the best wagyu restaurants in Tokyo — featuring a mouth-watering selection of other premium meats, too!

To really savor wagyu beef in Tokyo, we have so many gourmet guieds for you to look through:

• Budget-Friendly Beef: 12 Best Affordable Wagyu Restaurants in Tokyo
• A Michelin-Starred Wagyu Wonderland: A Review of Oniku Karyu
• 3 Halal Wagyu Restaurants in Tokyo

Enjoy a melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef meal, complete with drinks and side dishes (like kimchi and namul), at a local Kyoto restaurant while Hiroshi, your English-speaking local guide, tells you all about Japanese culture.

Find out more: Kyoto’s World of Wagyu: Best Wagyu Restaurants and Steakhouses in Kyoto

In this unique and varied Osaka cooking class, you'll get to master the art of making sushi, grilling wagyu beef and sipping on matcha after a traditional Japanese tea ceremony — all only 15 minutes from Osaka Station by train.

You won't leave empty-handed, either; Your host Katsuji will also present you with a calligraphy art souvenir that they crafted themselves.

Find out more: Best Wagyu in Osaka: Must-Try Restaurants

Exclusive to ZIPAIR passengers flying from Narita airport to US or Singapore destinations, you can order hand-selected A5-grade wagyu beef from Japan without any of the usual paperwork and declarations.

ZIPAIR will make sure your chosen wagyu beef is waiting for you at Narita airport when you arrive, ready to present your gourmet parcel at check-in so you can confirm its quality and freshness firsthand before boarding your flight.

When you arrive at your destination, simply collect your tantalizing souvenir alongside your luggage.

Order your A5-grade wagyu beef.

Wagyu beef is a cut of meat that comes from one of four Japanese breeds of cattle: Japanese Black, Japanese Brown or Japanese Red, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn. 

It has become a famous ingredient throughout and beyond Japan, recognized for its tender, flavorsome cuts and luxurious marbling.

Find out more: Beginner’s Guide to Wagyu: Types, Grades & Where to Eat

You can find A5-grade wagyu all over Japan. Simply take a look at our wagyu guides to indulge in wagyu beef in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Wagyu as it’s known today likely began with Kobe beef. Even to this day, when a number of premium wagyu beef varieties have stepped into the ring, Kobe is still known to proude some of the best wagyu steaks in Japan.

Find out more: Where To Eat in Kobe: 9 Restaurants Where You Can Try Kobe Beef