Is Kobe beef worth the price?

In small amounts, many Japanese eaters say yes, but few want a big plate. One 32-year-old (311 likes) says two slices of marbled beef already make their stomach protest, so lean beef became their favorite. Against that, one Japanese eater says Kobe and Matsusaka beef are easy to eat even when marbled, because the fat is good quality.

Is Kobe beef always A5?

No. The Kobe Beef association's standard requires Tajima cattle from Hyogo with a meat quality grade of 4 or higher and a marbling score (BMS) of 6 or higher, so A4 Kobe beef exists. Several Japanese eaters under the video say A4, or even A3, is the sweet spot, and that producers themselves often call A4 the tastiest.

Why are some Japanese people turning away from marbled wagyu?

Price and age come up most. Young people who love fat can't afford it, and older people who can afford it find the fat too heavy. A beef wholesaler (296 likes) adds that shoppers now favor leaner, cheaper beef while farmers still aim for high marbling grades, and feed costs keep prices from falling.

Food & RestaurantsYouTubecomments on a 2025 videoOct 11, 2026

Is Kobe Beef Worth It? Japanese Eaters on Why Two Slices of Marbled Wagyu Is Often Enough

Short answerJapanese people split

In small doses. The top Japanese reply (3,147 likes): by the time you can afford marbled wagyu, the fat is too much. Many stop at two slices.

3,147 likes on the most-liked comment388-comment thread · 2025 video

神戸牛は高いだけか——「霜降りを食べたい世代は金がない、食える収入になったころには脂がキツイ」

By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan

KobeWagyu

Kobe beef is worth it in small amounts, going by Japanese commenters, and the most-liked reply under a butcher's video on why marbled wagyu now goes unsold (3,147 likes) names the catch: the generation that wants to eat loads of marbled beef has no money, and by the time they earn enough, the fat is too much. Others push back that it is simply too expensive, and a beef wholesaler describes shoppers drifting to leaner, cheaper beef while farmers still breed for top marbling grades. One commenter defends Kobe and Matsusaka beef as easier to eat than it looks because of the quality of the fat. What the rest order instead is less marbling, not less wagyu.

“The generation that wants to eat loads of marbled beef has no money By the time you earn enough to eat loads of meat, the fat is too much for you at that age”

霜降り肉をいっぱい食べたい世代は金がない肉をいっぱい食える収入になったころには年齢的に脂がキツイ

— @伊達成実

City guideWhat Japanese travelers say about KobeAll 2 roundups for Kobe

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 388 comments

Marbled beef being expensive is part of it, but I think there's also the problem that middle-aged and older people can't handle fat. On top of that there are fewer young people who love fat, and they're broke.
霜降り肉が高いのもそうだけど、中高年が脂に弱い問題もあると思う。脂大好きな若者が減ってる上に金が無い。
— @asdf-m3j1,545 likes
Isn't it just that it's too expensive to buy?
高くて買えないだけでは？
— @ブリの人1,375 likes
Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef have good-quality fat even when they're marbled, so they're light and really easy to eat. Am I right in thinking light fat means lots of oleic acid?
神戸牛も松阪牛も霜降りでも油の質がいいからさっぱりしててすごく食べやすい。さっぱり油ってオレイン酸がいっぱい入ってるって認識でいいのかな
— @万年-e3g8 likes
I'm 32, and just two slices of marbled beef have me screaming "The fat! My stomach!", so my favorite is now lean beef with hardly any fat...
32ですが、霜降り肉を2切れ食べただけでも「脂が！胃が！」と悲鳴を上げてしまうので好物は脂の少ない赤身肉となりました…
— @AS-lv9ro311 likes
From my mid-20s I stopped being able to handle fat. I still want to eat it, but about two slices and I'm satisfied, and I can't really eat much. I'd like to enjoy the sweetness and flavor of the fat in each cut, even if it's just a little at a time.
20半ばから脂がうけつけなくなって、食べたい気持ちはあるものの2切れほどで満足し、なかなかたくさん食べられなくなりました。部位ごとの脂の甘み旨味を少しずつでも楽しみたいと思います。
— @ぽんちゃす-r6q9 likes
I work in beef wholesale The public leans toward lean meat, and with prices up, consumers prefer relatively cheap retired breeding cows and crossbreds, while producers aim to raise cattle with high marbling grades. That's the contradiction. The materials and feed to raise cattle have shot up too, so market prices won't come down easily, and that's where we are with demand for wagyu falling. Wagyu is definitely expensive, but compared with imported beef, everyone surely feels the meat and the quality of the fat really are delicious. As a small cog in the industry, I'd like to give young people more chances to eat it.
牛肉の卸売りやってます世間は赤身志向、物価高で比較的安い経産牛や交雑牛を消費者は好み、生産者は霜降りの等級の良い牛を目指して作る矛盾。牛を育てる為の資材やエサも高騰してるから、相場もそう簡単には下がらないことから和牛の需要が減ってる現状。確かに和牛は高いけど、肉質、脂の質は輸入品などと比べるとやっぱり美味しいと誰もが感じるはず。若い子達が食べる機会をもっと作ってあげたいと、業界人の端くれながらに思います。
— @monmonmon-b2m296 likes
Marbled beef has its own strengths and lean beef has its own, so it'd be nice if there were separate grading standards for each, not just a system that depends on marbling.
霜降りは霜降りの良さ、赤身は赤身の良さがあるので、霜降り依存の評価基準だけでなくそれぞれの評価基準があればいいなと思います。
— @うしなき180 likes
Marbled beef... going unsold...? That ridiculously good marbled beef I save up for and eat on special days with a smile, almost in tears, is left over!? I'll eat all of it, so send it here
霜降りが…余る…？お金貯めて特別な日に泣きそうになりながら笑顔で食べるあの激うま霜降り肉が余ってるだと！？全部食べるのでここに卸してください
— @kokianZ108 likes

What Japanese people do instead

I'm in my 30s. Marbled beef is expensive, so even when I want it, it's not something I can have casually. I did have marbled yakiniku once, but it's not something you can eat a lot of (about two pieces and I was satisfied), so I always end up going for lean, or something with a little fat that isn't quite marbled...
30代です。霜降り高いから食べたくても気軽に食べられるものではないし、一度霜降りの焼き肉食べたことあるんですが、数食えるものでもない(2枚くらいで満足な)のでどうしても赤身か霜降りまではいかなくても脂身が少しのものになっちゃいますね…
— @micho615519 likes
Partly it's my age, but A3 or so is starting to seem like the best to me Come to think of it, retail makes a big deal of the A grades, but I never see B, which I assume is the one below
歳のせいもあるけどA３くらいがベストに思えてきてるそういや小売でAは大体的に出すけどそれの下であろうBとかは見ませんね
— @xieyl59103 likes
I've seen people on the producer side say a few times that A4 or so is the tastiest That's probably the grade that balances what people want now
A4くらいが一番美味いって生産側の人が言うの何例か見たんだよなあ多分今のニーズとしてバランス取れてるのがそれくらい
— @tonton_08050 likes

FAQ

Is Kobe beef worth the price?: In small amounts, many Japanese eaters say yes, but few want a big plate. One 32-year-old (311 likes) says two slices of marbled beef already make their stomach protest, so lean beef became their favorite. Against that, one Japanese eater says Kobe and Matsusaka beef are easy to eat even when marbled, because the fat is good quality.
Is Kobe beef always A5?: No. The Kobe Beef association's standard requires Tajima cattle from Hyogo with a meat quality grade of 4 or higher and a marbling score (BMS) of 6 or higher, so A4 Kobe beef exists. Several Japanese eaters under the video say A4, or even A3, is the sweet spot, and that producers themselves often call A4 the tastiest.
Sources: kobebeef.co.jp · feel-kobe.jp — checked 2026-10-11
Why are some Japanese people turning away from marbled wagyu?: Price and age come up most. Young people who love fat can't afford it, and older people who can afford it find the fat too heavy. A beef wholesaler (296 likes) adds that shoppers now favor leaner, cheaper beef while farmers still aim for high marbling grades, and feed costs keep prices from falling.

Is Kobe Beef Worth It? Japanese Eaters on Why Two Slices of Marbled Wagyu Is Often Enough

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 388 comments

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What Japanese people said — picked from the top 200 of 388 comments

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