John Daub: This is a "kata rosu", or a cut
from the shoulder. 21 kilograms ... it could feed
a lot of people. Tonight, we're going to be eating this. Japanese wagyu is renowned around
the world as being the juiciest, and most tender. That A5-grade
marbling is legendary! But within Japan, there's so many wagyu
beef brands. Are they any different? This time I travelled to Shiga prefecture,
just 8 minutes by train from Kyoto, to the pastures of Omihachiman, where one
of Japan's top 3 wagyu brands is raised. This is the story of Omi beef.
Farm to table. Announcer: "Irasshaimase!" (Welcome!) ONLY in JAPAN John Daub: So here we are
at Kyoto Station. This is one of the biggest draws for
people coming to visit Japan. There's loads of history, culture,
it's easy to know why. There's so many people who come to Kyoto,
but I want to give you another option! If you're interested in food, especially
wagyu, there's a place that's less than 10 minutes away, that I would consider to
be "wagyu paradise". From JR Kyoto Station Central Entrance,
go over to Platform 2, catch the "Shin-kaisoku Express" on the
Biwa line, for Otsu Station, just two stops away. This is your entry
into Shiga prefecture. So where exactly is Shiga prefecture,
and Kyoto for that matter? First, find Lake Biwa in the middle of
"Honshu", Japan's main island. Down on the bottom is the ancient city of
Kyoto, and Otsu right next to it. You'll find some of the best wagyu steak
restaurants in Japan here. To get to Omi cattle country, just follow
Lake Biwa up to Omihachiman, where 400 rivers stream life into this
fertile region of Japan. Welcome to Otsu, Shiga prefecture.
Let's go eat some wagyu! This is "Omigyu Morishima Omihachiman"
restaurant, where the beef is sourced from the ranch, straight to the restaurant.
Joining me for this adventure is long-time Kansai resident and chef, Kevin Riley,
of Kuma's Kitchen. We sat down with friends for our first
"Omigyu" lunch, the chef special. It's all beef. Shabu-shabu mostly-beef salad,
raw "Omigyu" sashimi and sushi, and a delicious "Omigyu" curry. Look at that marbling. This is A5-ranked
"kuroge wagyu" beef. Only 6,000 cattle from the region are
designated with the "Omigyu" brand. Here, it's about quality over quantity,
and you can taste the difference. Kevin and I headed out to the
Morishima cattle farm and ranch, for a peek inside to see how these
"kuroge wagyu" live. It's surrounded by woods, between the
hills and the lake. Right away, we were impressed with the
cleanliness of everything. The "Omigyu ushi" here have loads of fresh
air, and they were very curious about their visitors, popping their heads out,
to get a closer look and say hello. Kevin has raised cattle in Canada, and had
a natural touch with them. We came at lunchtime. Kevin took a closer look. Kevin Riley: This is like a mixture of
basically oats, oatmeal, corn - that's dried corn - and there are a couple
little feed pellets in here, probably the feed pellets have more protein in them. This is all helping to build
the meat on the cattle. They really seem to like it. For the second course, they're served dry
grass, which is quite popular. You get room to walk around
in here, they'd be comfortable, and I'd say, with this breeze coming through,
it's fantastic in here, it's nice! [John Daub chuckles]
It's hot out there, and it's actually really nice in here.
John Daub: It's a controlled environment, this is a stress-free environment for the
wagyu. They're only two to a pen, they're not crowded in here, there's a lot of
fresh air coming in, and you can see the outside, the sunshine, it's so quiet as
well. This is a perfect area for a "bokujo", or a ranch.
Kevin Riley: Yeah. I wish you could see the view behind us
[chuckles] It's beautiful, out to the mountains and everything, it's so flat out
here, and just a really nice area to be in. They try to pair them up, so that they
don't have ... as long as you get with any animal, you get one that's stronger than the other, and they'll bully a little bit,
to get the food, but they try to pair them up here, the ones that get along well
together, and really I haven't seen anybody pushing anybody else
out of the way to get the food. So that again, there's no stress there. This place is pretty clean.
The one thing that I noticed when we arrived here, you didn't
get a smell of a farm. No, it's very clean-smelling.
I'm just smelling their feed right now, and it smells good in here.
Yeah, grass and nature. [laughs] Exactly, yeah. These guys in here all are very
clean and well-looked after. A five-star hotel for cattle, and their
purpose, why they're here at all, is to become beef. They're not pets,
they're living creatures, and the way I feel is that they're not dinner, until
they're dinner! And until then, they deserve all the respect and
cheek massages in the world. When the other wagyu see one of them
getting a massage, they all get kind of jealous, and curious. And... she wants more. [laughs]
She wants more. Kevin and I left feeling very happy that
Morishima's "ushi" are living peacefully, until the end. Before starting this story,
I talked with Morishima-san about the history of Omi beef, and how beef became
a part of Japanese cuisine. It wasn't always this way. Morishima Tokuo: (when it comes to
Japanese beef brands,) (until 40 or 50 years ago, Omi, Matsuzaka,
and Kobe beef were the only three brands) (that dominated the market.) (There weren't really any other official
brands beside them.) (But in the last 20 to 30 years, many new
beef brands emerged in Japan.) (In reality, even the same
Japanese "kuroge wagyu" beef) (can vary significantly in quality and
taste. Based on this, historically,) ("Kobe Beef", the name has been very well-
known for a long time.) (Similarly, "Matsuzaka Beef" was also a
number one brand.) (It seemed like "Omi Beef" ranked below
these two brands, but,) (in reality, ever since Japanese people
started eating more beef) (during the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras,
the beef that was most wide shipped,) (among the three famous brands, was
actually Omi beef.) (Tokyo received the
largest shipments, and) (the brand that was sending the most beef
to Tokyo was Omi Beef.) (This was probably because Omi was quick
to set up business in Tokyo.) (400 years ago, during
the Sengoku period,) (a lot of foreign missionaries
came to spread Christianity,) (and naturally brought their
meat-eating culture to Japan.) (But after this, under the Tokugawa
shogunate, during) (the Edo period, the government enforced) (Buddhism for strategic
political purposes, and) (in Buddhist teachings, four-legged
animals are not allowed to be eaten.) (Corruption of the soul and karma
was tied to eating meat.) (That's why 200 or 300 years ago, people
didn't eat meat, but that all changed) (during the Meiji Restoration, when the
country westernized.) (Despite initial hesitation,) (Japanese people soon fell in love
with the tastiness of meat.) (That's how "Bunmei Kaika"
(modernisation/westernisation) created a) ("Gyu Nabe" (Beef Hot Pot)
culture in Japan.) (But this culture still only existed in
Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and other big cities.) (In rural areas, beef was still too expen-
sive, so not many people could eat it.) John Daub: (Believe it or not, I've never
eaten Omi beef.) [both laughs] "Hayaku tabetai, tabetai!"
(I can't wait to have it!) I really wanted some premium cuts of
"Omigyu", so we headed back to Otsu City, to "Omi Kadoman", to raid their meat
lockers, and feast! They had all kinds of cuts, aging in well-
sealed bags. Only A5-ranked beef here! Every block comes with a 10-digit number
for the wagyu database, to see the history of the beef. You can always ask to see
this, and check if it's authentic. This is a pretty heavy cut. (That's massive. It's probably
quite expensive.) Staff Member: (It is.)
John Daub: (Must be over $1,000, right?!) Staff Member: (This might be
valued about $2,000.) John Daub: (2,000? Amazing!) They're pros here, with over 120 years of
history serving "Omigyu". This is an A5-ranked "kata rosu",
or premium chuck eye roll, near the neck and shoulders. The "akami"
red meat is super tender, and the fats are rich, although "Omigyu"
is famous for its lighter oil taste. Dinner is served. Kevin and I both get a
full cut. Everytime. Cooked on a gas grill, I like mine done
medium to melt the fats. Just a little pink which
brings out the flavors. It doesn't get hard like red meat steaks. Some like beer, but Japanese sake from the
region is excellent! Highly recommended. John Daub: "Kanpai!" (Cheers!)
Kevin Riley: All right. Yup, that's nice. John Daub: So what do you think about...
Kevin Riley: "Omigyu"? Yeah, what do you think about
going to the farm? Seeing the wagyu and then coming to the
restaurant and eat it? Kevin Riley: No guilt whatsoever.
John Daub: No guilt at all. I do think, this is not the first time
I've done a "farm to table" episode, and I just feel a greater appreciation,
knowing where the beef has come from, and seeing that "Omigyu", this brand here in
Shiga, really does a good job treating the livestock, treating the "kuroge wagyu" very
well, and you can taste it in the meat! Definitely, it's delicious.
The thing is, you talk about respecting, we always respect the food we eat. In my
household, that's just something that's always done. We respect it, we eat it.
It's the cycle of life. It does have a slight
difference, I'm starting to notice. It's a very clean taste,
don't you think? It doesn't really
sit strongly on the tongue. It melts quite well-
It's light. Right, it's a very light oil,
it melts quite well. It just tastes different. I don't know if
it's because of what they eat, or the temperature, the weather, or the influence
of being so close to Lake Biwa. Kevin Riley: [chuckles] Who knows?
John Daub: So many things have a very strong effect on the way that - "kuroge
wagyu" - that impacts the taste greatly. I'd think so, I mean
[unintelligible] feed a lot, definitely, but also it's a great environment we were
in there today, so that might have a big influence on it too. It's my first time
actually here in... [laughs] Really? You're the Kansai guy
too, and it's his first time! Kevin Riley: And it's fantastic!
John Daub: Yeah. Kevin Riley: I really enjoyed today.
John Daub: Yeah. But wait, we have one more: Sukiyaki.
[both laughs] "Omigyu" sukiyaki is done somewhat
different than in Tokyo. The beef is cut in thin, longer slices.
Just look at that marbling! Kevin knows what to do with this.
Japanese eggs are often eaten raw. For sukiyaki, mix it up!
This will become a dipping sauce. Next, grab a slice of "Omigyu",
and cook it in the pot. I wasn't really sure how this works,
but it's not too complicated at all. The strips cook fast, and before making
the sukiyaki stew, Kevin adds a little sweet
soy sauce to the meat. After it soaks it up a bit, the fats and
the sweet soy sauce flavors coming together, put it in your raw egg bowl.
Layer it on there, and enjoy! The natural richness of the egg really
makes a mouth-pleasing combination. After a few pieces of "Omigyu",
we started the sukiyaki stew, with shiitake mushrooms, tofu
and regional vegetables. Honestly, this is a special meal.
Wagyu always is, certainly not everyday Japanese cuisine. Many ranchers have told me,
by treating the cattle well, they reward us with such an amazing taste,
that you'll certainly never forget. "Gochisousama deshita", thank you to all
who made this feast possible for us today. That maybe the best meal I've
ever had in my entire life. It's really important to know
where your meat is sourced. This is once again another
"farm to table" episode, but what makes "Omigyu" really
special is the history behind it! Knowing that this is one of Japan's top 3
brands and been around for a long time, that knowledge from making
and raising beef for so long, really does come through in the taste. Oh yeah, I mean that marbling
is just absolutely perfect. It's a good chunk
of meat we had as well. I got to tell you, it's really easy to get
on a train, come from Kyoto, less than 10 minutes, if you want to eat the meat,
the wagyu, at "wagyu paradise", which is Otsu and Shiga prefecture,
10 minutes from Kyoto! Kevin Riley: It's well worth the trip,
really. Well worth it. We'll be back. We'll be back.
[both chuckle] If you enjoyed this, subscribe,
and click that bell, and let me know where you'd
like me to travel next. After 23 years of living in Japan,
I promise to share what I've learnt here, and take you to every corner of the
country, on an amazing adventure. "Mata ne." (See you later.)
What makes Japan's top wagyu beef brands so popular?
Kobe Beef. Matsuzaka Beef. Omi Beef. These are the top three wagyu brands in Japan historically but in the last 20-30 years Japanese Wagyu brands have really increased. This episode starts the Omi Beef, a Kuroge Wagyu Story. We track the beef back to the ranch in the Omihachiman area near Lake Biwa.
Japanese Wagyu Beef has a long history dating back to the Sengaku Period when European missionaries brought their beef eating culture to Japan. During the Tokugawa Shogunate or Edo period, eating 4-legged creatures was banned, but when the Meiji Era (1868) ended the Shogunate, western culture was adapted and gradually Japanese returned to eating tasty wagyu beef in the cities.
Awesome video