Matsusaka Beef: A Must-Try for All Meat Lovers

Savor every single bite of this premium Japanese beef with a sublime sukiyaki experience

Connoisseurs of fine meat are welcome at Utsukushiya, a B&B-style guest house set in a renovated historic building in Matsusaka City. Here you can dine on Matsusaka beef—ranked alongside Kobe and Omi beef as one of the top Wagyu brands of Japan—and savor its famed melt-in-your-mouth texture. The beef’s prime quality is the result of the meticulous care with which the cattle are raised, which includes formulating a straw and grain diet for each individual cow in accordance with their health.

Though Matsusaka beef can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, it truly shines in sukiyaki due to its buttery soft texture. Don’t worry if you’ve never prepared a Japanese meal before—the owner of Utsukushiya and an English-speaking guide will teach you all you need to know.
 

Your course begins with a brief 15-minute English lecture on Matsusaka beef to stimulate your appetite for the feast ahead. You’ll then be led to a local butcher, where you can select your own cut of premium beef. After this, you’ll return to Utsukushiya’s dining room for the main event. To learn the inner workings of cooking sukiyaki, and to ensure you enjoy this prime meat to the fullest, you’ll first receive a demonstration to witness how sukiyaki with Matsusaka beef is truly done. Once you feel that you’re ready to take the next step, go forth and try your hand at sukiyaki yourself.

Access: From Nagoya Station, take a limited express train to Matsusaka Station (about one hour 10 minutes). From Osaka Station, take the Osaka Loop Line to Tsuruhashi Station (about 15 minutes), then transfer to the Kintetsu Limited Express Line for Matsusaka Station (about one hour 25 minutes).

Utsukushiya