As some of our readers may know, November 29th is a particularly happy day for meat lovers in Japan. The numbers 1129 can be pronounced ii niku, which also happens to mean "good meat" 良い肉. In other words, the second-to-last day of November in Japan is "Good Meat Day"!

This is usually the perfect opportunity to go out with friends or family for some tasty yakiniku barbecued beef, or stop by the supermarket to pick up some steak to sizzle up in the frying pan and serve at home.

If you visit a Japanese supermarket, especially one of the higher-end stores, you may be surprised by the beautiful marbled cuts of beef on display. Some of the most prized beef in the world comes from Japan, where it's known as Wagyu, and the Kuroge Wagyu 黒毛和牛 from Miyazaki Prefecture stands out from the rest. If you find some at the supermarket, you'll probably need to consult your wallet before putting it into your shopping basket.

But what if you could have your fill of delicious A5 rank Kuroge Wagyu without even opening your wallet?

Ultra-premium beef and free for the taking?

On November 29th, in honor of Good Meat Day, Kobayashi City in Miyazaki Prefecture, which has a successful record of inventive campaigns aimed at regional revitalization, unveiled "oniku images," a completely free stock photo service sourced with professional-grade photos of the A5 rank Kuroge Wagyu the city is famous for.

Let's take a look at this new website...

As you've probably guessed by now, this all-you-can-take service is rather two-dimensional. But what the product lacks in physical substance, it truly makes up for in visual appeal!

Images to meat all your design needs

At oniku images, you'll find an "oniku gallery" with 71 gorgeous stock photos of Kobayashi City's finest Kuroge Wagyu, such as this one of beautiful boneless chuck rib steaks...

...as well as an "oniku museum" with 29 design creations featuring those stock photos, for a total of 100 images.

Here a some of our favorites from the "oniku museum"...

A beefy birthday cake:

This one is good for the third photo in your matchmaking app profile:

Following a Japanese meme which was popular some time ago, this one could be titled: "Feel free to use this picture with a hashtag 'On a date with my girlfriend now.'"

And there are plenty of other innovative designs waiting for you to discover. Even a few Western pop culture references show up, like a certain smartphone brand and a popular science-fiction miniseries...

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Another attractive feature of "oniku images" is a collaboration with Mika + Rika, twin sister idols famous for setting up their own free image library service featuring their photos. (That's Mika in the photo above.)

Moreover, you can be sure that the images are high-quality since Kobayashi City has asked veteran stock photo service "amanaimages" to supervise the images.

Posters using "oniku images" on display in Kobayashi City

From early December, you'll be able to see "oniku posters" promoting Kobayashi City wagyu at six locations in Kobayashi City, such as City Hall, and inside the city's train stations.

This one says: "A carrot for horses, meat for humans. Let's enjoy good meat and do our best this month."

They even have one in English:

Why don't you stop by Kobayashi City on your trip to Miyazaki Prefecture and see the posters for yourself?

Kobayashi City is surrounded by beautiful nature such as the mountains of Kita-Kyushu and Kirijima. You can soak in onsen hot springs while enjoying the scenery, and then feast on a yakiniku dinner of Kobayashi City Kuroge Wagyu. Whether you prefer it with tare (sauce) or shio (salt), you're sure to enjoy the delicious taste.

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