If you like steak, I’m sure you’ve probably heard of “Kobe Beef”. Kobe beef is synonymous with rumors of cows being played classical music and giving them massages. My first experience having “the real deal”, was amazing but also it was a slight afterthought during a quick weekend trip to Kansai. Similar to when I made a detour in Mie to try Matsusaka beef (another of the top three Japanese kinds of beef or 三大和牛 and which is argued the best), stopping in Kobe for some Kobe beef was a must.

What makes it Kobe Beef?

In America, Kobe beef has become synonymous with 和牛 (Wagyu, literally “Japanese beef”), but wagyu is any grade A5 beef here.  You can find it in the grocery stores! The Kuroge cattle are able to reach this A5 ranking and you can find it from many regions in Japan.  This includes across the hills from where I live in Hayama. 

However, Kobe Beef IS actually a branded name and regulated by the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association. Their website is a wealth of knowledge about what makes Kobe, Kobe. It’s also very thorough in English so don’t worry about not being able to follow.  There are very strict regulations when A5 beef can actually be called Kobe. A few of them are:

1. They are only a specific type of cattle and must be raised in Hyogo Prefecture
2. Slaughtering must also happen in Hyogo Prefecture
3. The marbling must be on point.

Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き), the Japanese Steakhouses of Japan

Not my usual style, but on the way to Shin-Kobe station to catch the shinkansen to Hiroshima, I found a highly rated restaurant on one of the restaurant apps and went with it (I usually wander until I find something).

Wakkoqu did not disappoint! Teppanyaki literally means “cooking on steel plate”.  Much like you would see at Benihana or any Japanese Steakhouse in the states. However, though the cook is right there to prepare your meal especially for you, it’s not as showy.  Not what I’ve seen at least, until this restaurant.  There was no throwing shrimp into people’s mouths but there was a lot more showy knife work than I had seen in the past at other Teppanyaki restaurants.

The chef and staff at Wakkoqu were very friendly and also use to foreigners being so close to the station and spoke English.  Though I can get by in Japanese, I don’t know that that converts over to “beef knowledge”.  They had many cuts of beef on their course menus and had it not been that fact, I would not have known that Sirloin is actually the best cut for Kobe (I was going to go with the filet).  Always listen to the chef!

Tip: If you’re not looking to spend a small fortune on dinner (though still a fraction of what you would pay for in the US for ACTUAL Kobe beef — of which, there aren’t many places to find, beware imposters!), go for lunch, the set meals are much more reasonable!

My 180g sirloin set came with an appetizer, soup, coffee and bread or rice. 180g is about 6 oz, another helpful conversion factor to know. They can also fry you up some garlic rice like you would see in a Japanese Steakhouse in the states but I’d had a big lunch and wanted to enjoy my beef! A nice red wine to accompany it was the icing on the cake!

Wakkogu Japanese Teppanyaki, a Kobe Japan Steakhouse

Sitting at the counter, the teppan grill wraps the whole way around

First, an appetizer of sashimi

The course doesn’t actually list a salad but this was delicious!

Mushroom and cream soup, though I love the mushroom broth you normally get in the states at Japanese steakhouses, this was better

The beef was presented before hand.  Look at all that yummy marbling!

There were also assorted veggies which were cooked with a chunk of the beef fat.

The beef!! And less importantly, the baguette, but it was also tasty.

Finish it all off with some delicious coffee

Have you had the privilege to try the real deal?

There’s more to Kobe then just the beef, check out somethings to do in the area.

Memorial Day. Three days. Disasters at work but one of my coworkers graciously filled in so that I could do my speed run as planned. The mission? Kansai and Western Honshu: Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Miyajima and Hiroshima.

What’s Honshu (本州)? And where are Kansai and Western Honshu?

Honshu is the largest island in Japan and considered the main island.  Hence the name, we’re very literal here. Hon (本) can mean “main” and shuu (州、しゅう which is Romanized as ‘shu’) means “province”.  The western side of the island is referred to as dun, dun, dun, “western Honshu”.  The area around Kyoto is called Kansai 関西 which is literally “west of the tollgate” and is rooted in history. Kansai is considered the cultural capital of Japan.

Timeline for a trip

Most people take a week down there, but it’s been 4.5 years of living here and I haven’t made it yet. Hence, last month, I decided it had to happen, even if it were only a grazing. What started as three cities, turned into five, because who doesn’t stop in Kobe for the world famous wagyu (or Kobe beef as we’d refer to it as)when in the area? (That would be me, the three times I’ve been to Osaka, but I digress…). Miyajima (which it turns out isn’t its real name but what everyone calls it) was also a must. It was very much an action packed three days (3.5 if you count the shinkansen ride down after work on Friday) but it IS doable. You just have to be willing to move (and walking super fast like I do doesn’t hurt).

How to get to Kansai and Western Honshu

From Tokyo, you can either fly or take the shinkansen.  I prefer the train and with as much jumping around we did, its a must.  Time line wise and dollar wise as plane would only get you to Kansai.

Where to stay?

To make it easier, we did two nights in Kyoto and one night in Hiroshima.  All were at APA hotels (pronounced how its spelt, not as an acronym) near the stations.  You can find really good deals on APA hotels and they are nice and clean, though small Japanese rooms.

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Slowing Down Time

The best part about a trip like this? And perhaps even my favorite, regardless of the place, is the more you fit in, the longer it appears to your brain you’ve been gone (More on that in Moonwalking with Einstein, it’s definitely true). In Kristen years, I’ve been gone for at least two weeks, not three days. Check out my itineraries for each day and let me know what other great places I need to hit next time!

Friday: Head to Kyoto

We went straight after work, got to Kyoto about 2030, checked in to the hotel and called it a night because we knew it was going to be a long day but there is tons of food options right in the area.

Saturday: Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine
Nijyou Castle
Imperial Palace
Ginkakuji (Silver Shrine)
Philosophers Walk
Aquaduct
Zenriji (eikan-do)
Beer Tour 😛 — no trip is complete without at least one mini beer tour of the city

Sunday: Nara and Kobe

We hit Higashi Honganji Temple on the way out of Kyoto

Nara

DEERRRRRRRRR
Big Buddha — Todaiji Temple
Nara Park
Sakura Burger–amazing! and they also had local Nara beer

Kobe

Ikuta shrine
Foreign Old House street
Rope Way
Herb Garden
Waterfalls
Kobe Steak

Monday: Hiroshima and Miyajima

Peace Park
Boat ride to Miyajima

Miyajima

DEER
Itsukushima shrine
Daishoin temple
Rope way
Miyajima beer
Meat bun stand

I couldn’t get enough of the deer

Back to Hiroshima

Peace museum
Spicy ramen
Hiroshima castle — one of the 100 finest castles of Japan

(Disclaimer: Literally this trip feels like forever and with the amount of places and food and DEER!, I really want to be able to write everything up but that’s going to take a bit, so bear with me on getting these posts complete. I hope you join me as they develop :))