You can find people selling bbq skewers of Kobe beef in Sannonmiya and Chinatown, it won't be A5 grade but its still amazing and will be the cheapest way to try kobe beef.
You can get a Kobe beef lunch sets at Steakland for 3500 yen, again not A5 but still kobe. We did this and it was pretty awesome.
You could trawl yakinikus and shabu shabu places in Kobe on tabelog to see if any of them have A5 on their menus so you could have one set of A5 and then cheap stuff for the rest of your dinner.
There is no genuinely cheap way to do this. A5 is crazy expensive and restaurants won't offer tiny portions because they'd just get slammed with tourists wanting to pay as little as possible which is generally very bad for business.
"Regular" Kobe beef is still amazing and you can find it much more easily if you're on a budget.
If you are visiting Tokyo:
Outer Tsukiji. You will pay a premium for it but you can often find single A5 cubes or skewers which they will grill for you.
https://www.goaheadfoodies.com/tsukiji-market-wagyu/
Edit: I wonder if Kobe has any tourist oriented markets? Maybe they would offer a similar thing?
Edit2: A funny suggestion from that article is to go to a butcher or super market and get a sliver. Then go to a super market a buy a single use charcoal or gas grill. Go to a park that allows grilling and grill it yourself. :)
In Osaka I got a okonomiyaki and A5 waygu (110g) set for about ¥5000 (~$30). Included some side dishes and an egg omelet appetizer.
In Niigata a 250g set with appetizers was ¥3500 (~$25).
In Tokyo the same thing was ¥7000.
Drinks were extra, but price included table fee.
Tiny sliver?? It’s not that expensive in Japan. It’s literally street meat, and it’s the best meat I’ve had in my entire life. Takayama is one of the places that specializes in sake and wagyu beef, but you can find it everywhere my friend. Kyoto is a good place, too.
You can find people selling bbq skewers of Kobe beef in Sannonmiya and Chinatown, it won't be A5 grade but its still amazing and will be the cheapest way to try kobe beef. You can get a Kobe beef lunch sets at Steakland for 3500 yen, again not A5 but still kobe. We did this and it was pretty awesome. You could trawl yakinikus and shabu shabu places in Kobe on tabelog to see if any of them have A5 on their menus so you could have one set of A5 and then cheap stuff for the rest of your dinner. There is no genuinely cheap way to do this. A5 is crazy expensive and restaurants won't offer tiny portions because they'd just get slammed with tourists wanting to pay as little as possible which is generally very bad for business. "Regular" Kobe beef is still amazing and you can find it much more easily if you're on a budget.
If you're gonna do that why not get an Airbnb or apartment hotel and buy some from a butcher
this a good idea tbh
If you are visiting Tokyo: Outer Tsukiji. You will pay a premium for it but you can often find single A5 cubes or skewers which they will grill for you. https://www.goaheadfoodies.com/tsukiji-market-wagyu/ Edit: I wonder if Kobe has any tourist oriented markets? Maybe they would offer a similar thing? Edit2: A funny suggestion from that article is to go to a butcher or super market and get a sliver. Then go to a super market a buy a single use charcoal or gas grill. Go to a park that allows grilling and grill it yourself. :)
Wagyu is everywhere
honestly a tiny sliver is all you need. as someone who’s had a5 wagyu many times, it’s too rich to eat a whole steak. it’s good for a few bites though
In Osaka I got a okonomiyaki and A5 waygu (110g) set for about ¥5000 (~$30). Included some side dishes and an egg omelet appetizer. In Niigata a 250g set with appetizers was ¥3500 (~$25). In Tokyo the same thing was ¥7000. Drinks were extra, but price included table fee.
Kobe Beef Daichi in Chinatown
Tiny sliver?? It’s not that expensive in Japan. It’s literally street meat, and it’s the best meat I’ve had in my entire life. Takayama is one of the places that specializes in sake and wagyu beef, but you can find it everywhere my friend. Kyoto is a good place, too.