Japanese people started eating beef after the Meiji Period which is from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. We did not have the stock-raising industries before the Meiji Period. In the first Meiji Period, we imported beef cattle from China, Korea and the U.S. Sukiyaki was one of the first dishes to use beef and it has been popular since then. Common and basic ingredients are sliced beef, long green onion, onion, tofu, pieces of dried wheat gluten, noodles made of konnyaku potato, bean sprout, carrot and some kinds of mushrooms. They are cooked in an iron pan and seasoned with sugar, sake and soy sauce. We usually eat them after dipping them in a raw egg like what is shown in the picture. There is no clear reason as to why we use raw eggs as a dipping sauce but it is said that we make them cool through a raw egg. There are different eating styles in each region in Japan.
