{"id":10248,"date":"2026-03-09T15:29:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T06:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shiga-ken.com\/blog\/?p=10248"},"modified":"2026-03-23T13:42:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T04:42:43","slug":"omi-beef-in-tsukiji-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiga-ken.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/omi-beef-in-tsukiji-tokyo\/","title":{"rendered":"Omi Beef BBQ Festival in Tsukiji, Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Omi
Omi beef and some veggies await our stomachs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Omi Beef Association<\/strong> (\u8fd1\u6c5f\u8089\u725b\u5354\u4f1a) went all out to serve a complimentary Omi beef barbecue lunch<\/strong> for some lucky foreigners in Tokyo on March 7, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was lucky to be one of the invitees to this Omi-gyu BBQ Matsuri<\/strong> dubbed “Omi Beef Experience in Tsukiji” (\u8fd1\u6c5f\u725bBBQ\u796d\u308ain \u7bc9\u5730).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omi beef<\/strong> or Omi-gyu<\/strong><\/em> (\u8fd1\u6c5f\u725b) is a premium, Japanese marbled beef produced in Shiga Prefecture. It’s perhaps Shiga’s most famous product. Did you know that the famous Kobe beef originally came from Shiga? Read below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Assistant
Assistant Chairman of the Omi Beef Association, Yoshizawa Naoki (\u5409\u6fa4 \u76f4\u6a39), introduces Omi beef with an English interpreter on the left. Meanwhile, staff in the background are busy cooking our steaks over BBQ grills.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The BBQ lunch was to promote Omi beef among us foreigners in Tokyo. Their mission was certainly accomplished with each of us devouring \u00a550,000 worth of Omi beef for lunch, then raving about it on social media. (That’s how much upscale restaurants in Tokyo would charge for the amount of beef we consumed, we were told. Likely cheaper if we bought the same amount of raw Omi beef at a meat shop in Shiga.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tsukiji Outer Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\"Tsukiji<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Omi<\/figure>\n
Ever-crowded Tsukiji Outer Market<\/strong> and Uogashi BBQ Terrace on the rooftop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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\"Reception
Konnichiwa! Reception desk for the Omi beef BBQ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The place was Tsukiji Outer Market<\/strong>, at the BBQ Terrace on the roof of Uogashi<\/strong> fish market (\u7bc9\u5730 \u9b5a\u6cb3\u5cb8 \u6d5c\u713c\u304dBBQ\u30c6\u30e9\u30b9). It was a sunny and slightly windy day, but picture perfect for an outdoor barbecue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tsukiji Outer Market<\/strong> used to be attached to the famous Tsukiji fish market which moved to Toyosu. Even without the fish market, the Tsukiji Outer Market has remained popular as ever with the lunchtime crowd seeking sushi and other seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you walk all the way to the rear of the Outer Market, you’ll see Uogashi, an indoor facility with seafood vendors. Less crowded here. Go upstairs for the BBQ Terrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we arrived at the BBQ Terrace, a huge stash of Omi beef was on full display for us to see with mouths watering. There must’ve been at least 40 to 50 of us taking part, hosted by maybe 15 to 20 staff wearing hot-pink happi coats.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Omi
Omi beef on display. Kind of surreal to see it like this. Too cold for flies, so the meat remained pristine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What to know about Omi beef:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n