Cattle judging during the last All-Japan Wagyu Show, Zenkyo, held in 2022

WHILE Australia has made massive strides in establishing the world’s largest Wagyu beef industry outside of Japan since the breed arrived in this country in the mid-1990s, there is still much to be learned from the supply chain in the breed’s country of origin.

A golden opportunity to do this arises next year with the Australian Wagyu Association’s 2027 Wagyu tour.

About 40 Australian beef industry stakeholders with an interest in Wagyu cattle and beef production will depart next August on a 12-day study tour designed to further knowledge and understanding of the Japanese Wagyu supply chain – from genetics to breeding, feeding, processing, and consumer applications in Japan’s retail and food service markets.

Spaces are filling fast, but limited spots are still available.

Zenkyo highlight

The cornerstone of the tour will be a visit to the All-Japan National Wagyu show (Zenkyo) –  a treasured national event held every five years in celebration of the country’s much loved Wagyu beef and the people who produce it.

Being held next year in the northern island of Hokkaido, the week-long Zenkyo is an enormous and colourful spectacle – part stud cattle show, part carcase competition, part genetics showcase, part Wagyu inspired food festival and part agricultural field days. Competitors from most of Japan’s 25 prefectures being teams of cattle for judging.

Click here to read an earlier account of the 2022 Zenkyo event, from an Australian visitor’s perspective.

Next year’s tour departs Australia on 28 August, returning 8 September.

The information-packed itinerary will include visits with Japanese Wagyu cattle breeders, lotfeeders, carcase meat market, an official Australian Embassy visit, and premium fine dining – plus sight-seeing and free time. Key destinations will include Tokyo, Obihiro, Sapporo, Sendai, and Kyoto.

The package includes all accommodation, all meals, all internal Japanese transport (bullet trains, charter buses, internal flights), access to two dedicated translators, and exclusive tour merchandise. (International flights are not included in tour prices.)

2022 AWA Japan Wagyu Tour Group

With Japan becoming a global gathering point for tourism since COVID ended, tour spots are strictly limited to 40. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis upon completion of the online form and receipt of deposit. Once the tour is full, a waitlist will be formed.

Single or double/twin share rates are available.

• Click here to learn more and to register

A Japanese Wagyu producer explains his breeding/feeding business to the 2022 tour group