Japanese people like Japanese beef because it is authentic.
Japanese beef is gorgeous. It is often eaten on special occasions. As the country became wealthy, the consumption of meat increased. But it does not always mean that Japanese people eat real beef.
The food situation in Japan is not as good as you might expect. Misao Haga, the owner of Rai Rai, a beef steak restaurant in Tochigi prefecture, says,
‘Lots of foods are produced through the chemical process today because millions of people have to eat. Consequently, authentic food is disappearing. That is why mislabelled beef was sold to consumers’. (From the web site of Transpheric Management)
Real food is organic and high quality. And in Japan real beef can mean Japanese beef, especially marbling ones, since there are many local brands such as Matsuzaka, Kobe or Tochigi beef.
Price and quality are different between Japanese and foreign beef. On the one hand, local brands are very expensive because of high costs of raising them. But they are among the finest. On the other hand, imported beef is sold at low price except fine ones. Although its quality is not as good as those Japanese local beef, it is helpful for many consumers because of its low price.
The increased share of foreign beef in Japan led to the decrease of real beef. I think that globalisation is linked to it. Japan’s self sufficiency ratio for beef was 81% in 1975, according to The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In 1991 the liberalisation of the import of beef was introduced. For the last few decades the share of Japanese beef has been steadily shrinking with 34% in 2000. This means the increase in import of foreign beef from Australia or the United States.
As imported meat is consumed widely in Japan, it may be not surprising that opportunity to eat authentic beef has decreased. Cheap meat sold at supermarkets attracts consumers. They can often eat it at home or restaurants. As a result, they rarely eat authentic beef. This could mean that many Japanese people will forget the taste of local beef in the future.
To solve the problem, Mr Haga offers the finest of Tochigi beef at low price in his restaurant. Not purchasing profits, he just wants people to eat authentic beef. His bold attempt can be thought as a reaction to globalisation.
There are similar movements in the world. In England farmers market is often held. Supermarkets sell organic food. Promoting local production for local consumption is taking place worldwide.
The consumption of meat is rising around the world as some countries are growing economically. Developed countries eat lots of meat. Now rising countries such as China are following suit.
Yet there is a cultural difference between foreign countries and Japan. There is a view that while European and American people have a digestive system designed to digest meat well, Japanese people do not. Its main reason is that meat has been eaten in Europe since early times. In Japan eating meat was banned for 1200 years in the past.
If that is valid, the digestive system is an important aspect of understanding the consumption of beef in Japan. A data from Japan Agriculture research institute shows that the frequency of eating beef fell in Japan in 2009. This is partly because of increasing health consciousness among its people. The fact that sushi is the most popular among adults suggests that Japanese people prefer fish to meat.
Importantly, the trend is linked with the preference of beef Japanese consumers have. According to the data, the percentage of consumers who will buy less foreign beef is twice as high as those buying less Japanese ones in case of buying less meat. The drop of the frequency of eating beef can be attributed to those people buying less foreign beef.
That shows the extent to which Japanese beef is special for them. It is safe and high quality. And at the bottom lies its authenticity. Mr Haga proves it. Among his customers are some people who miss what they have just eaten and wonder when they can eat it next. They are repeaters.■
If you would like to know more about Rai Rai, please visit at http://www.yokanbeya.net/rairai/
Ryo Kubota is a staff writer at Transpheric Management in Tokyo as well as a freelance writer. He has covered Sports for the Nippon Newspaper Company in Tokyo and teaches at a private tutoring school in Iruma, Japan. Having studied in both Tokyo and England in the areas of sociology, he has a keen interest in the world at large.
