Tajima Beef – Experiencing the World’s Best Beef in Kinosaki Onsen

• Burgers, steaks, curry, even potato chips - Tajima Beef comes in many shapes and sizes in Kinosaki Onsen. Now why exactly are mystic hot springs sharing Kinosaki’s willow-lined streets with steakhouses and burger joints? The history might surprise even the most seasoned chefs.

• What is Tajima Beef?

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• Tajima Beef comes from Tajima Cattle, one of the many strains of Japanese Black (or “Kuroge”) Cattle. Tajima Cattle are named after their birthplace, the Tajima Region of Japan. Multiple towns make up the Tajima Region, including Kinosaki Onsen and the entirety of Toyooka City. The close proximity of Kinosaki Onsen to the Tajima Cattle pastures makes it only natural for this hot spring town to promote Tajima Beef as one of the must-try cuisines after a soak! Time and time again, Japanese cattle have consistently been crowned the best beef in the world, and Tajima Cattle is the cream of the crop - all Kobe Beef cuts are required by law to come from Tajima Cattle.

• What makes Tajima Beef the world’s best?

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  ・No interbreeding - Tajima Cattle have historically been isolated from other cows due to mountainous terrain and concerted efforts by humans to prohibit breeding with other lineages. These measures resulted in purebred Japanese Black Cattle, free from possible outside genetic defects.
  
  ・Cold habitat - Cold, snowy winters in the Tajima Region contribute to Tajima Cattle’s high quality fat deposits, ideal for meat marbling.
  
  ・Marbling - Tajima Cattle are not overly fatty nor overly tough with muscle. There is a meticulous balance between meat and fat due to many small fat deposits dappled throughout the meat.
  

• Where to try Tajima Beef－in burgers

• OFF Kinosaki

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• Tajima Beef cheeseburgers are prepared in a live kitchen, served on freshly baked buns with house sauce.
  
  Walk-ins welcome.
  
  Address: 536 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

• Burger & Cafe Loco

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• Choose between a classic Tajima Beef burger, cheeseburger, or the hefty multi-patty DX burger.
  
  Walk-ins welcome.
  
  Address: 114 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

• Kinosaki Burger

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• Enjoy a classic Tajima Beef burger or cheeseburger and pair it with some chicken nuggets, fries, or even an American-style shake. Vegan burgers are also available!
  
  Walk-ins welcome.
  
  Address: 83 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

• In steak dinners

• Irori Dining Mikuni

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• High-class dining exclusively focused on Tajima Beef steaks, barbeque, etc.
  
  Reservations recommended.
  
  Address: 219 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

• Sanpou Nishimuraya Honten

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• Dinner courses including Tajima Beef and fresh seafood are carefully presented throughout a multi-course luxury dinner.
  
  Reservations required.
  
  Address: 463-2 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

• Tajirigo - the single bull who saved them all

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  When you take the first bite into your Tajima Beef burger or steak, remember to thank Tajirigo, a very special bull. Without him, there would be no Tajima Beef at all! Tajirigo was born in 1939 in Kami Town just west of Kinosaki Onsen. During this time, purebred Japanese Black Cattle were scarce - as Japan became increasingly globalized, imports, including livestock, became common. Cattle brought from overseas mated with native Japanese cattle, causing genetic changes in the makeup of Japanese Black Cattle. This affected taste, muscle, and fat quality. Some purebred Japanese Black Cattle did fortunately remain, and one of these bulls was Tajirigo.

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  Tajirigo served as a breeding bull for fellow purebred Japanese Black female cows for approximately 12 years, fathering about 1,500 calves through natural mating and reviving the nearly extinct purebred Japanese Black Cattle. Now, 99.9% of all Japanese Black Cattle nationwide, including Tajima Beef Cattle, are descendants of Tajirigo.

• A chef’s opinion - Mister Nakamura

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  Mister Nakamura has been the head chef at Irori Dining Mikuni for eight years. “The great thing about Tajima Beef is that every step of the farm to table process is easily traced.” And he’s right! Each stage from raising cattle from birth to butchering is traced to small businesses in the Tajima region. “Sometimes we have presentations where we blind taste test Tajima Beef and another type of Japanese wagyu beef. I can always tell which one is Tajima Beef...it has incredible marbling.”

• Upgrade your stay in Koyado Enn’s Tajima Beef concept room

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• After savoring Tajima Beef in its many forms, consider sleeping it off with Tajima Cattle for company. One of Kinosaki Onsen’s most unique guestrooms, Koyado Enn’s Tajima Beef concept room is home to a beloved bovine host - an impressive Tajima Cattle bust hangs just beside the room’s TV, waiting to welcome guests to a relaxing stay complete with a massage chair, coffee machine, and fluffy twin beds.

  More info

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  About
  the
  Author

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Danielle Leveille

  
  

  Junior Local Expert

  
  

  Originally from Chicago in the USA. She currently works for Visit Kinosaki as a coordinator for international relations. A lover of Tajima beef and hidden sightseeing spots, she can be found either at one of her favorite restaurants or exploring a secret nook in town.