[Report] Matsuya Ginza and beef bowl restaurant “Matsuya” collaborate for the first time! Premium products using Kobe beef will be available at “Matsuya’s Meat Activity in GINZA”

Matsuya Ginza, a long-established department store, is planning a variety of events throughout the year to commemorate its 100th anniversary on May 1, 2025. One of these events will be held in the basement food section for one week from April 9th (Wed) to 15th (Tue).
In addition to the regular stores at Matsuya Ginza, a wide variety of brands have come together for this event, offering their signature meat dishes such as minced cutlets and steaks (a total of 30 brands).

As a highlight of the content, the first collaboration has been realized with Matsuya, a major beef bowl chain operated by Matsuya Foods , as the two companies share the same name, Matsuya !

 The two companies often receive mistaken calls from students looking for work, causing confusion as to which Matsuya it is, and Matsuya Ginza approached them, suggesting that it would be interesting to join forces, leading to the project being launched in 2019. Although the plan was scrapped for a time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was revived in 2025 to mark the 100th anniversary of the store's opening, leading to this first collaboration. Related to this, on April Fool's Day this year, Matsuya Foods' accounts attempted to "take over" Matsuya Ginza on social media, which became a hot topic.

"Matsuya Ginza is celebrating its 100th anniversary, but we thought that there might still be some customers who feel that department stores are intimidating. Through this collaborative event with Matsuya Foods, we hope to once again convey that 'Matsuya Ginza is such a fun sales floor.' We hope that everyone will enjoy using the venue." (Sho Tanaka, Food Department, Matsuya Ginza)

The sales floor will feature four limited-edition products that can only be tasted here, based on the theme of "luxury and approachable" that Matsuya Ginza values, and made with carefully selected domestic meats such as Kobe beef and domestic rice.

The lineup includes Matsuya's signature and limited-time popular menu items, all of which have been upgraded to department store specifications, and includes "Kobe beef rice" (1,100 yen), "Kobe beef rice with large meat" (1,700 yen), "Delicious tomato hamburger made with domestic Japanese black beef" (1,300 yen), and "Rich pork steak raised in snow country " (1,300 yen). All cooking is done on-site.

The "Kobe Beef Rice" and "Kobe Beef Rice with Large Meat" are served with a special sauce that combines a sweet sauce that brings out the flavor of the Kobe beef fat to the fullest with the flavorful sauce that Matsuya normally uses. The beef is cut a little thicker than regular beef rice, and the onions and pickled ginger on the side are all domestically produced, making this the finest beef rice Matsuya Foods has ever made.

Kumagai Yuki of Matsuya Foods' Product Development Department spoke about the product's unique characteristics, saying, "Normally, beef rice is made by boiling the beef, but when you do that with Kobe beef, the fat ends up being too heavy. So this time, we decided to first grill the meat, remove the excess fat and lock in the flavor, and then simmer it down. It's similar to a cooking method like sukiyaki."

When I actually tried it, it certainly had a luxurious taste that reminded me more of sukiyaki than beef rice. The meat fibers were soft and easy to fall apart while still being chewy. The sweetness of the onions and other ingredients stood out, but the excess fat had been removed so it wasn't heavy and I wanted to gobble it down as much as I could!

All four dishes use "Masshigura," a brand of rice produced in Aomori Prefecture that has a sticky texture, fine grains, and good absorption of sauces.

The "Domestic Japanese Black Beef Tomato Hamburger" is a bento box that includes a hamburger steak made with domestic Japanese Black Beef, a special tomato sauce with a strong sour taste that brings out the flavor of the Japanese Black Beef, and a soft-boiled egg made with "Maximum Koi Tamago", known for its rich yolk. Since this is different from regular stores where you can eat the steak immediately after it is freshly made, it seems that there was a lot of trial and error in the kneading method and ingredient combination to create a "hamburger steak that is delicious even when it cools down and is soft enough to cut through with chopsticks".

When I actually tried it after it had cooled down, it was still soft and had a nice meaty texture. The tomato sauce had a very pronounced sourness to it, and the garlic gave it a strong kick, so it looks like it would be very satisfying to eat in one sitting.

The "Rich Pork Steak Raised in Snow Country" is a masterpiece that was planned to be a hearty menu that puts meat at the forefront, in keeping with the "Meat Activity" event. It is a voluminous bento box that uses 150g of domestic pork raised in snow country, which is characterized by its sweet fat and soft meat. It uses Matsuya's original pork steak sauce and is topped with fried garlic made from garlic produced in Aomori Prefecture. When you eat it, the pork has just the right amount of elasticity, making it the most powerful of the four dishes.

Kumagai said, "I hope that customers who use Matsuya Foods will enjoy this as a superior alternative, and that customers who usually use department stores will use this as an opportunity to use Matsuya again." The special limited edition products will only be available for one week until the 15th (Tuesday), so even those who are not Matsuya fans should definitely come and visit.

In addition, "Meat Gourmets Gather! Matsuya's Meat Activity in GINZA" will bring together other talented meat dish and meat brands, including "Ginza Yoshizawa," popular for its minced cutlet made from 100% Matsusaka beef. In addition, the permanent stores in the bento and deli section will be selling limited-edition products made especially for this event. There are a wide variety of unique meat dishes, such as lamb chops and roasted Jinhua pork, so it's perfect for finding your own "favorite meat." Be sure to check this out too.
■Official event page⇒ https://www.matsuya.com/ginza/events/2025/0402/nikukatsu-in-ginza/

■Examples of products for sale

Overview of "Meat Gourmet Gathering! Matsuya's Meat Activity in GINZA"

■Dates: April 9th (Wed) – 15th (Tue)
■Venue: B1F Lunch box/prepared food section, food fair, B2F Fresh produce/grocery section ■Number of floors and brands available: 30 brands, food fair 10 brands (*4 brands change daily)
B1F bento and prepared food section: 18 brands B2F fresh produce and grocery section: 2 brands Matsuya Ginza event official page https://www.matsuya.com/ginza/events/2025/0402/nikukatsu-in-ginza/

*All prices include tax.
*The contents are from the interview on April 9, 2025. It may differ from the latest information, so please check the Matsuya Ginza official website for details.

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