Japanese wagyu sold at costco

Worldwide demand for high-grade wagyu beef is around 300,000 tons per year.

In Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, Japan is the only country that offers wagyu beef. The difficulty in obtaining these cuts due to their limited supply means that it can cost twice or even triple the price of domestic Japanese Kobe beef in a restaurant.

The Yotsuya beef brand from Kagoshima Prefecture is trendy as it has been exported since 1985 with an annual volume of around 100 tons. Other than this brand, there are three different brands made by Nihon Traditional Beef Trading Co., Ltd. (Nihon Hoshu), which are known as “Kiso,” “Ishizuchi,” and “Yamato.”

Most Wagyu cattle are reared in Kagoshima Prefecture and feed on grass from the coastal plains, mainly from areas near Ibusuki District. However, some also come from Kyushu Island’s southwestern region, which has a long history of raising cattle; one example was Kagoshima City’s former mayor, who raised a herd himself back when he was younger.

They are generally fed on grass such as bamboo (Nuka) but also on some hay during winter months and then allowed to graze freely during springtime and summer seasons; they stop eating once they reach 60 days old before slaughtering at 12 to 14 months old once they have born mature weight and size or when they weigh over 1 tonne. Cattle are transported alive to abattoirs where the meat may be sold cut into fillets (yakiniku), rolled up into kebabs, or sliced thinly into sashimi-grade steaks for immediate consumption after slaughtering (both methods take about 15 minutes).