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Japanese Company Applies for Establishment of Top Level .Moe Domain

It used to be there were only a handful of top-level domains: .com, .org, .net, .edu, and so on. Now, there’s a TLD for virtually every use, including .xxx, .me, and now, potentially .moe. Japanese company Interlink is lobbying for a new .moe TLD for the otaku crowd, possibly opening the door for a plethora of new otaku URLs. My only hope is that there’s an international governing body that decides whether or not a website is truly “moe.”

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Japan Is About to Become the Largest Music Market In the World…: While people have been predicting the death of the music industry for decades, it looks like Japan’s music market is still going strong. Not only is it bouncing back from its 2011 low, but a surprising amount of that growth is thanks to physical music sales—you know, CDs. Gotta get to those handshake events somehow! [via News On Japan]

Wagyu Beef Scandal Leads to Arrests: The beef industry in Japan can be a very high-stakes game. Kobe or wagyu beef has a worldwide reputation for high quality, leading to legends about the care and attention take to raising the cows. Now, some big names in the industry have been arrested on “suspicion of misleading consumers.” It’s unclear how the cows will be affected in all of this.

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Green Tea Wars Heat Up: Bottled beverages are no joke in Japan, as they represent a lucrative, widespread market that you can see in vending machines on practically every street corner. Now, it looks like the green tea segment of that market is poised for growth as big players like Ito En, Suntory, and even Coca-Cola are fiercely competing for market share. As one company representative said, “The third ‘Green Tea War’ is already starting.”

Artificial anti-tsunami hill completed in Miyagi [Prefecture]: Since the disasterous earthquake and tsunami on 3/11, Japan has done what it can to prepare for future catastrophes. One just completed project is an artificial hill in the city of Iwanuma. The 8-meter hill is covered with over 30,000 seedlings, and will act as memorial site, training center, and just a barrier for future tsunami. [via Twitter]

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Deadly octopus prompt warnings in Kanto region

I have a deep-seated distrust of the ocean—virtually every terrifying creature on earth lurks somewhere in the sea. Case in point, this cute little octopus recently spotted in the Kanto region. While it may look adorable, this little cephalopod is extremely venomous; a single bite from one of these octopi can kill a person in 90 minutes. Have fun at the beach, I’ll be busy hiding under my bed. [via Reddit]

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Wallpapers!

In case you need to remind yourself of the constant octopus threat, we have some desktop background sized versions of the header image, courtesy of our amazing artist Aya. Enjoy!

Wallpaper (1280×800)
Wallpaper (2560×1440)

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Japan Airlines to Serve Kentucky Fried Chicken on Select Flights: What’s better than heart-stopping, cholesterol-rich, artery-clogging fast food? Heart-stopping, cholesterol-rich, artery-clogging fast food on a plane. For a limited time, Japan Airlines is serving the most Japanese of foods: Kentucky Fried Chicken. Japan Airlines won’t be serving some of KFC’s more interesting dishes, like its Famous Bowls or its Double Downs, but it’ll definitely scratch your American junk food itch.[/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]Sakai, Japan Becomes Sister City To The Hobbit’s Shire: In case you didn’t know, the first Hobbit movie is fast approaching (December 14^th!) and people are doing plenty in the meantime to celebrate. The city of Sakai, Japan, whose sister city is Wellington, New Zealand, the country where Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were shot, so it only makes sense that Sakai also make the Shire its sister city. Whether or not Sakai will also embrace the Shire, the Australian reality-drama TV show, is still to be seen.

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[threecol_one]5 Things Nobody Tells You About Living in Japan: Cracked has quickly become an internet staple with lists like “The 6 Most Spectacular Dick Moves in Online Gaming History” and “6 Mental Illness Myths Hollywood Wants You to Believe,” but a Cracked article this week that’s surprisingly insightful about life in Japan, covering topics like technology, culture, and architecture. Read between the lines, and I hear you can find 10 Ways You Can Tell That You’re a 90^s Kid.

Tokyo is Michelin’s most gourmet capital for sixth year: For the sixth year in a row, Tokyo claims its spot as the culinary capital of the world. Tokyo has once again claimed the most restaurants with three Michelin Stars – the highest honor in the culinary world – beating out other gourmet capitals like Paris and New York City. Among the three-star restaurants are traditional Japanese restaurants like Sukiyabashi Jiro, along with more contemporary restaurants. And as for Portland, Oregon, my home city: let’s just say that Michelin might not be big on food carts. [via News On Japan][/threecol_two_last]

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Kobe beef has taken off outside of Japan in recent years. You can now find Kobe beef in restaurants all over the US, everything from Kobe beef steaks to Kobe beef sliders.

At least, that’s the misconception.

A Forbes exposé recently blew the lid off what it calls “food’s biggest scam.” The author says that if you’ve eaten Kobe beef outside of Japan, chances are you’ve been lied to and ripped off.

Is this really the case? How could Kobe beef be such blatant fraud?

What Is Kobe Beef?

In Japan, Kobe beef is a very tightly controlled and regulated copyright. Only beef that meets a certain set of very strict standards can be labelled as Kobe beef.

Kobe beef only comes from the Hyogo prefecture, and is named after Hyogo’s capital city, Kobe. While the cows from which Kobe beef comes from aren’t actually given the royal treatment of massages and watery Japanese beers, they’re still very particular about their cows.

The beef comes from cows of a very specific breed and distinct lineage. You can trace back the family of a Kobe beef cow for generations and generations. You’ll even be able to tell exactly which cow your meat came from; it’s all given Portlandia levels of care and attention.

Most importantly, the real, genuine article is served basically only in Japan. Since Kobe beef is so tightly regulated, it’s generally not allowed to be exported anywhere outside of Japan. (The only exception is Macau.)

In fact, since 2010 there haven’t been any beef exported from Japan to the U.S.. That raises the question: if Kobe beef can’t be exported out of Japan, then how are there so many Kobe beef dishes served abroad?

Fake Kobe Beef

Despite tough regulation in Japan, there’s nothing that legally prevents people outside of Japan from calling their meat “Kobe beef,” even if it’s not the real McCoy.

When you see Kobe beef products offered outside of Japan, there’s no chance that it’s the same beef that undergoes such strenuous cultivation. Regardless, it’s still probably high quality beef.

Does It Really Matter?

The author of the Forbes article objects to foreign beef being labelled “Kobe” beef because he thinks that it’s misleading. He thinks that others are riding on the reputation of actual Kobe beef.

To me, this complaint seems kind of pedantic. It makes me think of people who say that champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France. That might technically be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy sparkling wine that’s incorrectly labelled “champagne.”

Does it really matter if the beef you’re eating isn’t 100% authentic Kobe beef? Most people probably can’t even tell the difference!

And besides, as Koichi covered in his post about “sushi abominations,” Kobe beef isn’t the only Japanese food that’s been altered in U.S. kitchens. Really, all bets were off when people started using cream cheese in sushi.

Japan doesn’t have its hands clean either. I’d be lying to you if I said all Japanese interpretations of foreign food is faithful to its origins. Just look at Japanese pizza and you’ll get what I’m saying.

Japanese pizza: not quite what the Greeks had in mind

It seems to me that most foods are only approximations of the authentic, genuine article. And you know what? That’s probably okay. As long as you enjoy the food, who cares if it’s prepared the “right” way?

So is Kobe beef a scam? If you have a very specific set of expectations, then you might be disappointed. But if you’re just looking for some high-quality meat, don’t worry too much about it.

[Header image source]