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Wagyu, it's the most delicious and the most desired beef in the world
Wagyu means Japan's beef
And I'm here at 43 prefecture because they won the Wagyu Olympics making it the Number One beef brand in Japan
Every five years the Wagyu Olympics is held to see which brand and area is the best
513 cattles came to Sendai to compete on best marbling and leanness
Tottori Wagyu won the award for best beef this year.
Top beef brands, Kobe and Matsuzaka weren't present, so it begs the question
Is Tottori the new No.1 Wagyu in Japan you see all Japanese Wagyu beef is extremely tasty
A4 or A5 beef grading
It's so good that it's hard to tell the difference
Kobe beef is the most famous Wagyu brand
Limited to just three to five thousand cattle a year just half of one percent of the domestic beef
It's rare, but is that selection and rarity really worth it
All top Wagyu brands live stress-free lives in areas of freshwater clean air with healthy diets to increase leanness and marbling
It's lighter and tastier than other beef
You know when you taste it. It's that good, but in this episode. I'm gonna tell you why Tottori Wagyu it's so good
It comes from one of the most natural places in all of Japan with a history of having Wagyu cattle
Mount Daisen, the Mount Fuji of the West it provides Tottori with some of Japan's purest water
supplies the area with amazing soil for produce
nutritious grass for cows and cattle to graze on
And yeah, they have really good milk and ice cream, too
The area between Mount Daisen and Yonago City is loaded with farms right near the sea
It's a place where you don't have to pick either mountain her beach for vacation. They're both there
This is Nishida-san's "Bokujyo" or ranch where he has his own brand of Wagyu called Daisen Kuroushi
They live in clean pens of three their lives are all about relaxing
They love being scratched and unlike cattle overseas Wagyu are super friendly and approachable
It takes a little while to build trust and make friends
Wagyu are also really curious
That ring in their nose is to help lead them safely
It's the easiest way with minimal stress to lead a stubborn cattle
for Wagyu that usually means because they're too lazy to get up
Kimochi ii? (Feel good?)
Feels good?
Wagyu are very gentle and very clean
Nishida-san let me come in and help rush them after they've gotten a chance to know me
With those horns one could be worried, but really these Wagyu are just like kids
The neighbors jealous that they're not getting brushed - one Wagyu at a time, folks
All Japanese Wagyu have a ten digit number that identifies them online
the livestock database can track the date of birth and track each back to their mother all
Japanese Wagyu have this number all the way to the restaurant so you always know where the meat came from
Nishida-san really treated his Wagyu with a lot of love and affection.
They seemed pretty happy to me
So how do I wrap my head around the idea of eating these lovable Wagyu?
Daisen Kurooushi Kyoushou-tei when Nishida-san Wagyu beef goes
To eat it, I had to learn how the Japanese do it which required learning an important lesson here the principles of "Itadaki-masu"
it's one of the most important Japanese words you can learn and
Nakanomori-san, taught me the deep meaning of the word to people in Japan
You saw the lovable Wagyu, right?
The owner Nishida considers them as adorable
He takes a great care of them everyday for raising
We are also the consumer of Wagyu who raised them with a great daily care
At that time, we consider not to eat the Wagyu,
but we receives the life from the Wagyu
the gratitude
I am receiving your life
Which is the word "Itadakimasu"
There is love as well as respect
The love toward the cow which will be eaten
and will slso be shown when we actually consume it
It's more than just a word we say in Japan it's a deep feeling of appreciation
Japanese have for the food in front of them
In the kitchen Nagatani-san an experienced chef who has handled Wagyu for decades taught me a little bit about the different cuts of meat
Kyoushou-Tei prepares their Daisen Kuroushi brand for Yakiniku
This first cut is called "Haneshita" called Chuck flap in English part of the shoulder loin or rib side
You can see that intense marbling
Next cut is called "Kurimi" or chuck tender near the shoulder
it's loaded with that Amami taste on another level
The final cut is called "Hiuchi", which is a premium upper leg cut limited to just two kilograms of the Wagyu
Wagyu oil is different from other kinds of beef, it containes more Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
and monosaturated fatty acid than other beef
After Nagatani-san is cut enough Wagyu for my dinner
he prepares it as beautifully as he can great respect is paid to the meat, which is why it's set so well for the customer
Three different cuts to try this is going to be quite a meal, " Itadaki- masu"
It doesn't take long for the meat to cook on the grill
Generally it's better to cook the meat through so the oil is heated with yakiniku it takes about 15 seconds
There's a selection of sauces and salt
This one you can eat with wasabi
Wasabi is a nice way to go adding extra depth to the meat, but really with this Wagyu beef
You can eat it as is and be really satisfied
Yeah
It's not chewy and not oily. Yes, the red meat contains little fat.
The distinctive feature of Daisen Kuroushi is in very natural oil tastes
because of the lack to stress to the Wagyu
the stressless cultivation and the natural oil taste are deeply related
The oil is there but not overpowering or heavy.
That's nice sound
Each piece was absolutely delicious
So which one is better Kobe or Tottori to meet Tottori beef is just as good and a fraction of the cost
Thankfully if you're eating Kobe or Tottori beef you can ask the manager for that ten digit number and know exactly where it's from
It's worth traveling around Japan to eat different Wagyu throughout the country there are over 300 Wagyu brands
There are also many ways to eat it all based on personal preference
Mount Daisen has a long history of being one of Japan's cattle market places
The environment around this area of Tottori has made it an ideal place to raise Wagyu cattle and that balance with nature
yields some of the best beef in the world
It really is something to give thanks to
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Mata ne~