Worth a trip to Kobe to try Kobe beef?

Hello-

I know you can get A5 wagyu and Kobe beef all over Japan. But is there better quality, prices, or experiences available in Kobe?

We will be in Osaka, so it seems like an easy side trip to visit Kobe. But I don�ft think we have any other reason to visit Kobe besides a nice meal (or two).

Open to any thoughts on the subject. Thanks!

you can get A5 wagyu and Kobe beef all over Japan
Would it taste better because you have it in KOBE city?  I seriously doubt it. 
I once had Hokkaido crabs in Osaka, and also tried similar crabs in Sapporo, but could not tell the difference. I think you need a more compelling reason just to go to Kobe for Kobe beef. In fact, once I had a Teppanyaki meal in a Kobe near Sannomiya Station. The meat was very tender and delicious, only to find out later that it was American beef.

No, it doesn't make sense. The area of production is large and not even centered around Kobe city.

Well, it's just a 30 minute trip on a 460 yen train, so why not visit Kobe for dinner and enjoy the night view while you're at it.

https://www.feel-kobe.jp/kobe-yakei/en/

Kobe is really pretty around the harbour, I think it would be a nice evening to visit there for a feed of beef.

I dont know that it would taste any better than the same cut done in Osaka, depends on a bunch of factors. The best beef I've had was matsusaka which comes from the Nara area, but I ate it in Tokyo, so it didnt have the home court advantage.

Thanks for the input!

I was definitely looking if there was an advantage or other reason to visit Kobe. While the beef might not taste better, sometimes you find it is just a fun experience to visit the origin area/city of a dish. And visiting around the harbor after a nice dinner or lunch does sound like a fun addition to our trip beyond just Osaka and Tokyo in the area.

Thanks again

You can go on a harbour cruise as well. Apparently it is great, but it was too choppy when we were there to do it.

You may visit Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum for tasting sake:


https://www.hakutsuru.co.jp/english/culture/museum.html

Depends on the time you have, but Kobe is not so far from Osaka, so there are more options, for example in Sannomiya you can find plenty of restaurants.

If you have time you can go access is easy, if you don't really have time and are around Kyoto there's a Mouriya restaurant there (it's a chain with many of them in Kobe but there's one in Kyoto)

@Peter1986 Ah, yes! Mouriya is on my list for Kobe. Good to know there is one in Kyoto too.

A harbor cruise could be fun as well as sake tasting.

It sounds like we might leave Kobe up to a last moment decision depending on how we are feeling with our time in Osaka.