| TOKYO, Feb. 8 – February 9 is the day of meat in Japan as the pronunciation of meat (niku in Japanese) sounds similar to the Japanese numbers 2 (ni) and 9 (ku). Some restaurant chains in Japan had discounted offerings of wagyu beef dishes or sold an additional volume pack of wagyu at their online retail shops. Due to continuing price hikes, consumers are becoming increasingly budget-minded, creating a harsh environment for sellers of wagyu beef, one of Japan’s high-priced foods. So, these unique schemes are expected to boost consumption.
A leading shabu-shabu traditional hot pod dish restaurant chain, Shabushabu Onyasai, held a campaign to offer a special discount of 1,000 yen (excluding tax) to its official app members for all-you-can-eat courses with Kuroge-brand wagyu until February 9. It provided a “Tokusen Kuroge Wagyu Course” featuring all-you-can-eat offerings of 13 kinds of Kuroge wagyu beef at 4,378 yen and a “Shimofuri Kuroge Wagyu Course” with marbled Kuroge wagyu at 5,478 yen. A Tokyo-based yakiniku chain, Yakiniku Toraji, sold at its online store a 1.5-time larger volume pack of diamond-cut bone-less short ribs (360 grams) at 3,300 yen. “It is marinated in sweetened soy sauce, which goes well with rice. With this, we expect to boost our sales,” the company said. Restaurants run by the JA Group also served the Meat Day specials on February 9 to boost wagyu consumption. Some of the yakiniku chain restaurants run by JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods Co., Ltd., Yakiniku Honpo Pure, served a dish of four pieces of Kuroge Wagyu Sushi served with Ponzu Vinegar Jelly Sauce at 1,600 yen. (Ponzu is a sauce containing soy and vinegar or citrus juice.) “Please enjoy the combination of slowly cooked Kuroge Wagyu roast beef and the refreshing ponzu vinegar sauce,” the restaurant said.  Kuroge Wagyu Sushi served with Ponzu Vinegar Jelly Sauce (Photo by JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods) |