My first experience with real Kobe Beef in Kobe was in 2010, when I took my first independent travel outside of the Tokyo area. First time using the Japan Rail Pass , I spent a few days in the Kansai area, visiting Osaka, Nara, Kyoto and Kobe areas. I did my research online and decided on visiting a very well established Kobe beef steak restaurant, Mouriya (est. 1885). Phone-in reservation was probably not necessary. I was seated at the teppanyaki counter right after I enter the restaurant during lunch time. I chose the highest A5 grade sirloin beef steak set, the chef recommended to have it cooked medium rare. The chef also offered me to take some pictures of the meat and the certification before he started cooking.

The beef was tender and juicy, it was not like anything I have had in the past in the US. Special flavors in the beef's intramuscular fat and the chef's meticulous skills of cooking made my first Kobe beef experience memorable. The chef cuts up the steak into bite-size pieces and cooked few pieces at a time to match my pace of eating the food in my plate.

The A5 grade steak lunch set cost me around $95 USD. I believe the price is mid-range in the Kobe area for such high grade steak at a prestigious restaurant. The price would have been much higher if I chose to visit the same restaurant during dinner time.





















My second experience with real Kobe Beef was in 2012 when I visited Kobe again. My friends and I chose Steakland Kobe restaurant based on her online research. The restaurant was at a much easier to find location (30 seconds walk from the nearest train station) and there were many more customers than my previous experience at Mouriya during lunch hours. Another superb dining experience by watching the skillful chef pan-frying one of the most precious, and highly prized beef in the world. This restaurant offers a slightly thicker cut at a more reasonable price. The beef was equally juicy and flavorful. The lunch Kobe Beef set cost around $60 dollars during my visit. I would recommend this restaurant's "Kobe Beef" set to readers as the price was more reasonable and the restaurant was much easier to find. Remember to order the steak set that is labeled as "Kobe Beef," other cheaper options are not labeled as Kobe Beef and they might not qualified by the strict Kobe Beef grading system.

















My third experience with Kobe beef in Kobe was in November 2015, when I was traveling in Japan using the Japan Rail pass . Instead of visiting a steak house or a sukiyaki restaurant, I went to a authentic sushi bar for the infamous Kobe Beef nigiri sushi in Kobe near the train station. The few pieces of Kobe beef nigiri sushi cost me about 2000 yen. The beef melted within a few seconds in my mouth after I put them in. There was no weird or gamey taste. It was nothing but light beef flavor and aromatic buttery taste. The sushi chef was very particular about how he wanted to serve his Kobe beef nigiri sushi. He lightly salted the raw Kobe beef and he emphasized that I should not dip the Kobe beef sushi in soy sauce because it was simply "the best meat."





















Kobe Beef can also be enjoyed in other forms of Japanese cuisine such as Sukiyaki Shabu-Shabu , and self-service Yakiniku . My recommendation is to enjoy Kobe Beef as steak, teppanyaki style, so you can watch the wonderful skills of the chefs in front of you.

Wagyu beef nigiri sushi. Best Kobe beef and Wagyu beef in Tokyo