Next
Previous

Spotlight on Kagoshima

By Joe Heitzeberg - Co-founder and CEO of Crowd Cow. I'm on Instagram at @jheitzeb.

Kagoshima, Japan (鹿児島) is located in the far south of Japan in Kyushu (九州). It's a beautiful area with a storied agricultural heritage; and it's collectively responsible for around 20% of Japan's Kuroge Washu cattle, the Wagyu breed that produces Japanese A5 Wagyu.

Kagoshima, Japan

Kagoshima's year-round temperate climate and ecology are well-suited to raising healthy cattle with low stress levels, a necessary component of achieving A5 quality. This region might take the cake for producing happy cows.

SHOP: Kobe Beef from Hyogo, Japan

Japan's iconic, luxurious beef is here — the one and only Kobe Beef

And it pays off in taste: Japanese beef connoisseurs consider Kagoshima to produce some of the very best quality A5 Wagyu in the country.

Update: Kagoshima beef took the top prize at "The Wagyu Olympics" (全国和牛能力共進会) this year based on overall contest scores (総合得点による「団体賞」は、鹿児島県が1位). You could say that Kagoshima's A5 Wagyu is the best beef in Japanese beef right now!

Kobe Beef, a brand of luxury beef in Japan, is beef raised in Hyogo prefecture further to the north, and which has earned a rating of A4 or A5 rating from the Kuroge Washu breed of cattle. Kagoshima A5 Wagyu is therefore the same breed of cattle with as good or higher-quality rating, and from an area with ideal conditions for cattle-rasing.

Kagoshima, Japan

As of 2016, Kobe Beef is rare outside of Japan and was only served in 8 restaurants in total in the United States, fetching prices up to $880/pound (no joke). Kagoshima A5 Wagyu is more limited, and rarer outside of Japan.

Why limit something so good? Well, there's currently a quota on the amount of Japanese Wagyu that can come into the U.S. And don't waste your breath asking Japan's government about exporting DNA or live animals -- there's a total ban on that. Anyway, your time is probably better spent slicing up and savoring the perfectly marbled meat that's been imported for your tasting pleasure. Go to it!
Kagoshima, Japan


SHOP: Kobe Beef from Hyogo, Japan

Japan's iconic, luxurious beef is here — the one and only Kobe Beef

Shop:
Tags:

You may also like

We believe in creating a meaningful connection between you and the food you eat. Taste, transparency and convenience shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. This has been our founding belief since we started in 2015, and it continues to be the force that drives us.
300,000+ happy customers
3000 tons of styrofoam saved with our fully compostable insulation
Over 2 million boxes shipped