The best beef in Japan, Miyazaki Beef

Japan is known worldwide for its excellent quality beef. Even if you aren’t a huge foodie, if you have traveled to or are interested in traveling to Japan, you are more than likely to have heard of beef brands like Kobe Beef or Matsuzaka Beef. These beef brands represent the quality of beef that Japan has become known for with its cuts of finely marbled meat with a melt in your mouth texture. However, Kobe Beef and Matsuzaka Beef although famous in Japan too, aren’t considered as the top beef brands of Japan.

Miyazaki Beef is a name only given to cows raised in Miyazaki which meet strict quality standards. The meat from these cows is further graded on a scale from C1 up to A5 which is the highest rank. This grading is universal with all branded beef in Japan.

At a national competition that is held every 5 years and often referred to as the Olympics of Wagyu Beef, Miyazaki Beef won the top prize of the Prime Ministers Award 3 times consecutively. This means Miyazaki Beef held the top spot in Japan for 15 years straight. That is why Miyazaki Beef is so highly regarded within Japan and also why Miyazaki’s calves are chosen by producers of brand cows to be raised in other regions.

Although Miyazaki Beef isn’t as famous globally as Kobe Beef or Matsuzaka Beef, it is becoming more and more known outside of Japan. At the 90th Academy Awards Party, Miyazaki Beef was chosen and served to attendees, propelling its fame in the American market. Miyazaki Beef is now available in many places not only within Japan, but Miyazaki Prefecture is still the best place to experience this special cut of beef.

Many restaurants serve Miyazaki beef within Miyazaki Prefecture at a much more reasonable price compared to other parts of Japan and the world.
One of the best ways to enjoy Miyazaki Beef is at a teppanyaki restaurant, where they will recommend selected cuts of Miyazaki Beef and prepare it to perfection in front of you. Teppanyaki is usually an expensive option, but at lunchtime in Miyazaki Prefecture, you can enjoy a Teppanyaki Miyazaki Beef lunch for around 3,000 yen.

Miyazaki is also famous for Shochu, a traditional distilled alcohol which is made from a wide variety of ingredients such as sweet potato and barley. Matching Miyazaki Beef with Miyazaki Shochu is one of the best ways to immerse yourself into the local food culture and the combination is sure to please even the most traveled foodies.


Written by En Miyazaki writer
※ This article was written in January 2019. Some photos used in this article were taken at an earlier date.
 

The 12th National Competitive Exhibition of Wagyu, also known as “The Wagyu Olympics”, was held in Kagoshima prefecture from October 6th to 10th in 2022. Hosted by the Wagyu Registry Association once every five years, the exhibition evaluates the Breed Improvement and Meat Quality of wagyu sent from each prefecture to distinguish and identify the very best wagyu in Japan. Breed Improvement is determined according to the seed bull’s proportions, appearance, condition of growth, and age in months. Meat Quality is determined according to the marbling, color, luster, firmness, texture, and the quality of fat in the beef.

The contender from Miyazaki was awarded 2 Top Honor Awards out of the 8 divisions in a competition of 41 of the 47 prefectures across Japan and 414 cattle. Furthermore, Miyazaki also won the Prime Minister award:a distinction introduced within the past few years that recognizes the best quality of fat in wagyu, making this year the fourth consecutive exhibition that Miyazaki beef has been awarded.

Following the results of their performance this year, the Miyazaki team has finally decided to tack under their original slogan, “Japan’s best efforts and preparations”.

In the past, this exhibition was held 11 times nationally, in 1966 in Okayama to more recently, 2017 in Miyagi.

One of the more general awards, The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries award, is given to the most excellent cattle according to rank.

Out of the Top Honor Award’s winners from seed bull division and beef cow division, one from each division receives the top-ranking honorary award, the “Prime Minister award”. Group awards were given to all those prefectures that exhibited more than 5 divisions, and also received higher honor awards in all those divisions.

Amazing “Miyazaki Beef”

The most delicious beef in Japan!
The fat quality of the meat was highly rated alongside its quantity and the quality, and that led us to win the Prime Minister award; the highest award in the beef cow division.

​​​​​​Experienced farmers and successors who would lead the next generation have made a great achievement! Kobayashi Shuho High School won the 2nd place in Japan in the high school and agricultural college division.

Enjoy Japan’s No.1 Miyazaki beef!

※This article was written in November 2022.  Some photos used in this article were taken at an earlier date.