Protected local food
Yonezawa Beef
米沢牛
Yonezawa Beef comes from the Okitama area of southern Yamagata. Its fame began in the early Meiji era, and many people still travel to Yonezawa just to eat it.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 3 March 2017
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 米沢牛
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 山形県置賜地域（米沢市、南陽市、長井市、高畠町、川西町、飯豊町、白鷹町、小国町）
A beef with a story
In the early Meiji era, an Englishman teaching at the Yonezawa domain school took local beef back to the foreign settlement in Yokohama, and it became a hit. Beef shops opened in Yonezawa at a time when most Japanese didn't eat beef, and local farmers have kept improving their cattle ever since.
Where it comes from
Only cattle raised in the Okitama area of Yamagata qualify: Yonezawa, Nan'yo, Nagai, Takahata, Kawanishi, Iide, Shirataka and Oguni. It sells for about 20% more than the average Wagyu.
Good to know
- Buy the Yonezawa beef ekiben (station bento) at Google Maps 米沢駅 (opens in a new tab). It has been sold for about 120 years and makes an easy lunch on the shinkansen.
- Compare it with other famous Wagyu: Kobe Beef and Omi Beef.
Questions travellers ask
Where can I eat Yonezawa Beef?
In Yonezawa and the rest of the Okitama area of Yamagata. The station bento at Yonezawa Station is the easiest way to try it.
Is Yonezawa Beef Wagyu?
Yes. It's a regional Wagyu brand from Yamagata, priced about 20% above the Wagyu average.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.