Osaka yakiniku restaurant’s wagyu ‘meat bouquet’ a hit for Mother’s Day

OSAKA — A barbeque restaurant here is offering a “meat bouquet,” or thinly sliced Japanese wagyu beef arranged like a flower bouquet, as a Mother’s Day gift, sparking popularity.

The online shop of Umeda Hakuundai, located in Osaka’s Kita Ward, sells the bouquets prepared with wagyu shoulder. The meat is rapidly frozen, giving it a slightly firm texture and a rich “umami” flavor of lean meat.

The restaurant began developing the product after customers decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales began in July 2025, and roughly 200 bouquets have so far been sold. Prices start at 5,980 yen (about $38) for 300 grams, and options include special wrapping and a Mother’s Day message card.

In addition to the bouquets, the shop also sells “meat cakes” and meat in layered boxes as gifts. Public relations staffer Mayumi Murata, 34, commented, “We hope people will use this ‘meaty’ dramatization to express their gratitude.”

(Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video News Department)