A Moving Gourmet Experience at Nikusho Furusato Ginza Main Store, the Only Place in the Kanto Region to Taste the Legendary Hiroshima Wagyu 'Sakakiyama Beef'♡

In April 2024, the popular high-end yakiniku restaurant " Nikusho Furusato Ginza Main Store" opened in Ginza, Tokyo. The rare Sakakiyama beef, previously served only at Michelin-starred establishments in places like Hiroshima and elsewhere, can finally be enjoyed in the Kanto region. Why is it so famous among foodies? I visited with members of the press and encountered a one-of-a-kind Wagyu beef with "an umami component content about 150% of the Wagyu average and a melting point of 16.4°C"♪ For a moving gourmet experience, please enjoy a premium meal.

Surprising Wagyu tongue sashimi enjoyed in the style of "fugu tessa"

The Hakuhinkan Building in Ginza 8-chome houses toy stores, theaters, and more. On its 5th-floor restaurant level, " Nikusho Furusato Ginza Main Store" opened on April 23, 2024. It is a high-end yakiniku restaurant where lunch courses start from 13,000 yen and dinner courses from 18,000 yen or 27,000 yen (tax included, drinks not included).

One reason it is already a hot topic among foodies and the media shortly after opening is that it is the only place in the Kanto region where you can taste "Sakakiyama beef." "Sakakiyama beef" is a Wagyu brand produced in the Kumano-cho area of Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is an extremely rare Wagyu beef with only 13 to 15 head produced per month, as there are only two farmers raising them.

The Hiroshima Wagyu tongue tessa served early in the course is a sashimi dish where thinly sliced tongue is scooped up with chopsticks, several pieces at a time like fugu tessa, and enjoyed luxuriously with ponzu. The more you chew, the more the high-quality, delicate umami of the tongue spreads in your mouth.

According to the restaurant staff, the part of the beef tongue slightly further from the root is richer in flavor and more delicious than the core part at the base. I have often been told that the core part of the tongue is the most delicious and fatty for yakiniku, but this restaurant's philosophy is a bit different.

"There is a fixed idea in the world that A5 Wagyu beef is the best, but we at the Sakakiyama Beef Brand Promotion Council are convinced that Wagyu beef becomes more delicious when raised without aiming for A5," says owner Ryuji Kasahara.

When you order Sakakiyama beef sirloin or harami, the first thing that surprises you is that the meat is a deep, vivid azuki bean color. While it has beautiful marbling like other Wagyu, it is not salmon pink, but closer to a deep crimson.

According to Mr. Kasahara, there is a rule that it cannot be called Sakakiyama beef unless the beef carcass is split in half and shows the deep crimson color that meets the criteria. It is not as simple as just being based on the cattle's pedigree or the producer; they have set very strict standards, and it is said that it will not reach this color without long-term fattening of 32 months or more.

The umami is rich, yet the aftertaste is elegant. That's why it also goes well with white wine♪

For the Sakakiyama beef's feed, they spend a huge amount of money on designated grains such as natural spring water, Hiroshima Prefecture-grown rice straw, and soybeans and corn of the same quality as those eaten by humans, and they raise them for more than 100 days longer than usual.

As a result of raising them without regard for profitability, a one-of-a-kind beef was born with an umami component content about 150% of the Wagyu average and a melting point of 16.4°C. Such a rearing method requires enormous costs, time, and technology, and is completely different from the rearing method that aims for A5 Wagyu, and its taste is also different, which is why it is attracting attention among foodies now.

When you actually put it in your mouth, the sirloin, harami, and other yakiniku cuts first offer a rich umami, and a nutty, fragrant Wagyu aroma drifts through. This alone is delicious and satisfying enough, but perhaps because the melting point is low, the meat juices flow away smoothly in the second half, and the aftertaste is surprisingly elegant. Because of the refined aftertaste, it even went well with white wine. I was surprised~.

As it is a high-end restaurant in Ginza, you can of course leave the grilling to the staff with full attendance, but there are also couple seats in the restaurant where you can enjoy your meal while looking at the night view. There, you can order everything on an iPad, grill it yourself, and enjoy a quiet, intimate time without being disturbed by anyone.

It is nice to be able to choose how you want to grill when making a reservation, depending on whether it is for a business dinner, a meal with others, or a date.

The offal, which looks like a work of art, is also exquisite! Pairing it with wine is also a delight.

The offal was also a taste from another world compared to anything I've had before. Since the surface skin of the liver isn't peeled off, it spreads out like a flap when grilled. If you dare to enjoy it medium-rare, the liver bursts in your mouth with a crisp, crunchy texture. It feels like a living liver. You can tell it's fresh from both the taste and the texture, which is truly moving.

The hormone (offal) is also a pale pink color and very beautiful; every dish looks like a work of art. Both the liver and the hormone have absolutely no gamey smell, and for these rich flavors, they recommended a California red wine. As luck would have it, a bottle was open, so I was also able to taste the slightly premium 'Mount Harlan Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard' wine.

The restaurant has two sommeliers and wine advisors who can handle multiple languages, and they offer various pairing suggestions. The person who served the wine that day was Ken, who is also fluent in Chinese.

'It is characterized by elegant acidity and lively fruit flavors. Complex notes of ripe black raspberry, pomegranate, marmalade, wild mushrooms, and black pepper, along with mellow tannins, create a synergistic effect with the iron content in the hormone and liver,' Ken explains carefully.

As I felt the deliciousness of the wine and meat with all five senses, my imagination expanded, and time passed in the blink of an eye.

For lunch, in addition to the 13,000 yen course, they offer a 'Sakakiyama Beef Yakiniku Lunch' for 6,000 yen and a 'Sakakiyama Beef Sirloin Yukhoe Bowl' for 8,000 yen. It's nice to have a luxurious lunch with friends or a partner once in a while.

Please be sure to taste Sakakiyama beef, which even gourmets rave about, for lunch or dinner in Ginza. It is also recommended for international guests looking for exceptionally delicious Wagyu.

Nikusho Furusato GinzaMain Store
Address: Hakuhinkan Building 5F, 8-8-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 5-minute walk from Ginza Station A2 Exit via Tokyo Metro Ginza Line/Marunouchi Line/Hibiya Line / 3-minute walk from JR Shimbashi Station Ginza Exit / 3-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Ginza Line Shimbashi Station Exit 1
Average price per person: Lunch around 10,000 yen, Dinner 20,000 yen to 30,000 yen
Business hours: 11:00-15:00 (LO 14:30) / 17:00-22:00 (LO 21:30)
Closed: Irregular holidays
Scale: Approx. 70 tsubo, approx. 60 seats