the first sukiyaki store opened in kyoto at the last days of the tokugawa shogunate. the meiji emperor ate beef. he liked taste of sukiyaki. after that, the emperor lifted the ban on eating beef. people were allowed to eat beef publicly. in the west it is called “sukiyaki”, in the east it is called “gyunabe”. it is popular all over japan. sukiyaki’s contents do not change now. it is thinly sliced beef cooked in an iron pot, with bean curd, sliced onion, mushroom and other kinds of seasoning. then the beef and vegetables are picked directly from the pan by chopstick and eaten by dipping them into a small bowl containing raw egg. sukiyaki became symbol of cultural enlightenment.