Akita Gyu Gentei yakiniku restaurant

Yakiniku 焼き肉

Yakiniku, Japanese-style barbecue, literally means "grilled meat." At a yakiniku restaurant you grill the meat yourself, right at the table. Any cut can be served, always sliced into bite-sized pieces.

Akita Gyu Gentei

We kept passing the billboards for this place on walks between our hotel and the station, and eventually made a reservation — worth it, since we got lucky with a last-minute cancellation. The restaurant sits on the second floor, right above the walkway connected to Akita Station.

We went with the Blue Dragon set menu for two, 8,800 yen tax included, which turned out to be plenty: juicy, well-marbled cuts like thick-sliced beef tongue and upper ribs, plus appetizers, salads, noodles and tofu on the side. We paired it with a wine made from Teroldego Rotaliano, a grape from northern Italy.

For a yakiniku restaurant, the quality here is exceptional — top-grade ingredients, attentive service and a handsome interior, all at a fair price. Highly recommended.

Akita 秋田市

Akita is the capital of Akita Prefecture and the final stop on the Akita Shinkansen, making it a natural base for exploring the rest of the prefecture. The city has plenty of worthwhile sights and food, this yakiniku spot among the best of them.