Today, for the thousath time i was asked about Kobe beef and if they really massage them and give them beer. I thought my response might be of interest to those here, sorry it's written for an audience in Japan so I can clarify if you don't know where Kyushu is, etc. Also, I'm looking for someone that can help with plant design.

Kobe Beef is just beef from the Wagyu breed of cattle that are finished in Hyogo-ken. There is no difference between Kobe-gyu, Matsuzaka-gyu, and the dozens of other regional brands. Many of them are born in Kyushu and shipped to the mainland to be fed out and slaughtered. 

There is a tremendous difference between the Wagyu breed of cattle and most other breeds developed for commercial beef production. Wagyu have been bred through single trait selection focusing solely on marbling (it turns out that there are a couple of genetic mutations unique to Wagyu cattle that relate to marbling and the production of oleic acid) . Most other breeds have focused on performance factors like feed conversion and growth. The result is that, in comparison to other breeds, Wagyu cattle produce beef that is very highly marbled with fat that melts at a lower temperature, and tastes really freaking good. The downside is that they take forever to grow, an Angus will typically reach market weight at 18-24 months, a Wagyu takes 30 or more. 

There is very little difference in the feed rations of Wagyu versus other breeds, Japan has to import most of it's feed anyway. And while a few farmers probably get a laugh popping open a beer and giving their heifer a rub-down when the TV crews come by, that's pretty much the only time it's ever done (not counting the occasional lonely farm-hand with way too much time on his hands). There is no machine that massages them Marquis de Sade-style and you'd be hard pressed to get a 1200 pound steer near one twice if there were. 

Even without the beer and massage teasers, Wagyu beef still has a lot going for it. It is tenderest, richest, beef anywhere. It's also higher in Omega-3 than any other beef, but only if it's properly fed-out. The Tesco F1 program won't produce anything exceptional. Also in Japan, every carcass is tested for BSE, all high risk materials are removed, and they have the best tractability program on the planet. Unfortunately, the meat business over here is full of liars and thieves (probably including me) so you never really know what you are getting. 

Full discolsure: I don't currently sell any domestic Wagyu, although I do have some Australian in stock. Hoping to import some young F1 cattle from the family ranch soon.