Spain's Casa Julián Joins Kitan IN in Osaka's Hozenji for "The Rare Tour Osaka 2026" Three-Night Collaboration, October 28 to 30

From Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30, 2026, a special collaboration event, "The Rare Tour Osaka 2026," will be held in Hozenji, Osaka. Casa Julián, a steak restaurant from Tolosa in Spain's Basque Country, will team up with the Osaka restaurant Kitan IN for three nights only.

The event centers on two beef cultures that grew up in different places. Kitan IN, in Osaka's Hozenji Yokocho, aims to bring out the individuality of Wagyu through aging and to express the lingering aroma and umami that stay on after each bite. Casa Julián, in Tolosa, carries on a steak culture that pares cooking down to beef, salt and fire to bring out the power of the beef itself.

Kitan IN: The Lingering Aftertaste Created by Aging

Kitan IN is a ten-seat counter restaurant in Osaka's Hozenji Yokocho, where owner-chef Hiroyuki Takeshita explores the possibilities of aged Wagyu. The restaurant's name reflects his thinking about meat dishes. "Kitan" (㐂舌) carries the idea of a tongue that rejoices, and with "IN" (韻), the restaurant hopes that joy will not end the moment the food is eaten but will remain as a lingering aftertaste in memory.

"I would like guests to take their time savoring the 'in' of the texture felt when the meat is placed on the tongue, and the lingering aroma of the meat that follows."

The aim is to deliver not only the moment the meat is eaten but also the aroma, umami and texture that spread afterward as a single experience. To that end, Takeshita ages each Wagyu while assessing its production area, producer, bloodline, cut and condition, working with the individual character of each animal.

The restaurant occupies a renovated space that was formerly a traditional Japanese restaurant with a history of about 120 years. In the historic Hozenji Yokocho, it offers a dining experience built around a lively counter where dishes are finished in front of guests, and extending to the food, aroma, movements, conversation, tableware and the space itself.

Casa Julián: Fire Handed Down Since 1951

Casa Julián's cooking is symbolized by fire. The restaurant was founded in 1951 in Tolosa, in Spain's Basque Country, by Julián Rivas. It was later taken over by Matías Gorrotxategi, who refined the distinctive grilling technique that defines Casa Julián today. Its signature dish is "Txuleta," a thick-cut beef steak grilled over charcoal.

Casa Julián selects mature European cattle raised for about six to nine years, seasons the beef generously with Mediterranean sea salt, and grills it over charcoal on a dedicated grill. Because the method looks extremely simple, it demands a craftsman's skill: the experience to judge the condition of the meat, the distance from the fire, the temperature and the timing. From founder Julián Rivas to Matías, and now to his son Xabier "Xabi" Gorrotxategi, Casa Julián values passing its essence, including the menu, techniques and character of the restaurant, on to the next generation without change.

The technique and philosophy of working with fire, handed down for more than 70 years, are now coming to Osaka.

Casa Julián was ranked No. 7 in the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025 and was awarded two Soles in the Guía Repsol 2024.

Two Philosophies in One Course, Not a Fusion

The collaboration does not aim to simply fuse Japanese and Spanish cooking. Kitan IN works from the idea of drawing out the aroma and umami of Wagyu through aging and enjoying its lingering aftertaste. Casa Julián has a culture, handed down since 1951, of drawing out the character of mature beef through the way it handles fire.

Aging and fire. Wagyu and Txuleta. Osaka and Tolosa.

Rather than erasing these differences, the aim is to create a single dining experience while respecting each other's philosophy and techniques.

The event will feature a special six-course menu expressing the identities of both restaurants, together with a wine pairing. Set in Osaka's Hozenji Yokocho, the collaboration will run for just three nights.

Comment from Owner-Chef Hiroyuki Takeshita of Kitan

"Casa Julián is a restaurant that has kept to its own style for more than 70 years while continuing to work with beef and fire. At Kitan IN, too, we have always cared about letting guests enjoy not only the moment they eat Wagyu but also the lingering aftertaste of aroma, umami and texture that remains afterward.

Japan and the Basque Country differ in their beef and in their culture, and the approaches of aging and fire are different too. Still, I sense something in common in the part where you recognize good meat and work out how to bring out the individuality the meat naturally has.

In 2025, we were given the opportunity to share our thinking about Wagyu in Hong Kong through The Rare Tour. This time, we will welcome the Casa Julián team to Osaka, and to Hozenji, our home.

Rather than making the two restaurants the same, we want to create a single course that keeps each one's individuality. I hope these three days will be an occasion to enjoy those differences and the lingering aftertaste."

Hiroyuki Takeshita, Owner-Chef, Kitan

About The Rare Tour

The Rare Tour is an international dining series that brings together chefs and restaurants recognized for their work with beef. Organized in connection with the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants, the series creates opportunities for participating restaurants to collaborate across countries and culinary traditions. Previous editions have taken place in cities including London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and Melbourne.

Event Overview