This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Masashi Nakamura, 29, who is running Nakamura Farm, a small Wagyu farm in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. His words have been edited for length and clarity.
I was working at a meat processing facility in Tasmania when my interest in Wagyu began. It was 2024, and I had just moved from Vancouver after my plans to study web development fell through.
One day, I noticed the word “Wagyu” written on the hanging beef carcasses. Having grown up in Japan, I’d always taken this kind of beef for granted. But seeing how highly people overseas regarded it changed my perspective. I began to understand that…
