A5 Kobe Beef: How will I know if its "fake"?

[undothediet]

I have been staying in Osaka for a while because I have two of my Aunts who lived there and I was celebrating my birthday there.

Since, it is a special day, I decided that I want to experience the melt in your mouth beefy goodness that is Kobe beef! So I walked around Dotonbori and bought one in one of the restaurants there that features it. I believe I have paid 14,000 yen for it. However, when I met my Aunties the day after for Yakiniku, they told me that I didn't really get to experience eating the "real" one.

They told me that it is indeed from Kobe but not really the one I was hoping to each that that Kobe beef is much more expensive compared to what I consumed! So how would I be able to know which is the "real" one then?

[MisakiChan]

As far as what I've researched a couple of years back, the best place you can get Kobe beef is where it's from, Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture or within the Prefecture . It's also cheaper there and gets more expensive the farther you are from Kobe. Real Kobe beef is rarely imported elsewhere in Japan or other countries but if you really want the real deal it's safe to go to Kobe and try it out there. And there are lots of interesting places to visit in Kobe as it is a tourist destination, too so you're not only enjoying the beef but everything unique about the place, too.