Matsusaka Beef via Conveyor Belt at Isshoubin! Japan's "Top Three" Wagyu Brands — Specifically Matsusaka Beef

Written by Chad Martin

－Author's Introduction
My otaku side brought me toNagoya, Japan in 2012, but I stayed for the food, countryside towns, andgorgeous mountain scenery. I was born and raised on the east coast of theUS, but I dare say I never grew up. I never shut up about Japan.

Various regions of Japan compete to be known as having the highest quality beef in all the land. You’ve almost definitely heard of Kobe beef. A quick Google search showed me a 300g packaged rib-eye going for almost $90.00USD.

There is only one other name in beef that one may dare utter in the presence of a god like Kobe: Matsusaka!

Matsusaka cattle go through a very unique process to produce the highest-quality beef possible. They are tended very carefully. 

They’re groomed regularly, fed a very special mixture of soybean meal, wheat, barley, and beer. Yep. Beer.

 It’s said that beer somehow increases the cow’s appetite, adding more fat marbling to the meat. Beer certainly gives us all more fat marbling. It’s pretty interesting to see a cow being fed beer straight from the bottle, but that’s how it’s depicted in some of Matsusaka’s promotional materials. 

Another really unique technique is the shochu masssage. Shochu is a type of distilled alcohol made from barley, sweet potatoes, or other ingredients. It’s a bit stronger than sake. Anyway, the Matsusaka cattle get sprayed down with it and then massaged. It not only makes them look glossier and more beautiful, but also makes the meat more tender and sweet.

And there really is no more unique way to enjoy the incredible tenderness and flavor of Matsusaka beef than trying it conveyor belt style! At Isshoubin in Mie Prefecture, you can get a really unique and fun “yakiniku” experience. Yakiniku (literally “grilled meat”) restaurants are quite popular in Japan.

Often referred to as Korean BBQ, the typical yakiniku restaurant has tables with grills in the center, around which the customers sit and are served raw foods to cook for themselves.

It’s a really fun experience even though it can be a bit intimidating at first. It’s also very satisfying to cook meat this glorious for yourself. Matsusaka beef lives up to the hype. It’s ultra-tender and practically melts in your mouth. It’d be a shame to cook it any further than medium.

Isshoubin has the same appeal as other yakiniku restaurants, except they serve Matsusaka beef via conveyor belt! It’s so much fun to be able to snatch whichever raw slices of meat look tastiest as they glide past your table. Don’t be shy about grabbing up some nice veggies too. Green peppers, onions, carrots, all go really well on the grill.

A couple of pointers for those uninitiated could go a long way. Don’t use the same chopsticks on the raw meat and on the cooked meat to feed yourself. Maybe that’s just common sense? 

Secondly, don’t just tend your own meats! Yakiniku is a really fun thing to do with friends. If you’re working the grill, make sure everyone’s meat is cooking well and serve people if theirs appears to be ready.

The raw, choice slices head down the line toward customers.

Some conveyor belt restaurant systems work a bit differently than others. At Isshoubin, the conveyor system was totally enclosed. Pressing a small button at your table opens a window through which you can grab whatever you’ve been eyeing.

Be quick about it though! If you miss something you wanted, don’t worry. It’ll be back around soon. There’s also a button at the table you can use to call the staff if you need anything, or to ask for the bill. The staff will simply count the number of plates that you’ve got on your table. Different color plates represent different prices. You can see the prices displayed on them as they go down the line.

The marbling was a clear indicator of its quality.

Isshoubin is a chain yakiniku restaurant, but all of their locations are in Mie Prefecture. However, the Miyamachi location in Matsusaka is the only one offering the conveyor belt service. Half of the restaurant is the more traditional style yakiniku, but you came all this way for a more unique experience, right?

This was the perfect ending to a busy day of sightseeing around the Ise and Matsusaka area. I was pleased to see that they had a chart where any foreign visitors could mark where they came from. It was a very charming and welcoming thing to see.

Isshoubin is only a ten minute walk from Matsusaka Station. You can get to Matsusaka Station easily from Nagoya Station or Namba Station in Osaka. It takes about and hour and a half from either starting point.

Isshoubin Miyamachi Branch
Address: 515-0015 Mie-ken, Matsusaka-shi, Miyamachi
Telephone Number: 0598-50-1200

Check out Isshoubin’s website for more details: http://www.issyoubin.com/